A Year in the Life
by Caskett1960
Summary: Post 'Mind Games.' A year in the life of baby Ariel Castle as Kate adjusts to her new role as mom. Rated T because I want to increase my fan base. Reading 'Mind Games' isn't necessary, but would probably help with some aspects of this story.
1. Chapter 1--Perfection

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I wish.**

**Title: A Year in the Life**

**Summary: Kate and Rick Castle glory in the joys of new parenthood with baby Ariel. Sequel to 'Mind Games.' Reading 'Mind Games' isn't necessarily a requirement, but it might help. Rated T so that I can build my fan base to include the readers who don't like reading M rated stuff. This chapter starts shortly after the birth of Ariel.**

**A/N #1: While this story is T rated, I might write a separate story to include some M rated elements later. **

**A/N #2: Thank you, Chuck, for checking for errors. And for the challenge. I hope that I can meet it.**

Chapter 1: Perfection

_May_

Perfection. That was the only word that came to mind when Kate Castle looked into the sleeping face of her newborn daughter. She was less than 18 hours old and yet, she was simply _perfection_. Her apple-sized head was covered with the softest brown hair she'd ever felt in her life. It curled perfectly under her fingers as she stroked it. Her tiny cupid bow's mouth moved as if she was dreaming about nursing. Kate had never seen anything so perfect. She still couldn't believe that just the evening before she had managed to push this beautiful creature out of her body and into her heart.

She was waiting for Rick to come back with the car so that he could take them home. Home where they'd begin their lives as a new family. Suddenly Kate was terrified. She'd never taken care of a baby in her life. What if she messed everything up? She felt herself beginning to panic until she was interrupted by a light tap on her door. She looked toward the door as Jim Beckett walked in. "Hi, dad," she smiled at him.

"I thought that I'd come and check on my daughter and granddaughter before you take her home. Where's Rick?"

"He went home to get the car. He brought me up here in the Ferrari, forgetting that the car seat is in the Mercedes."

"Katie Bug, she is perfect," he smiled down at the bundle in his daughter's arms.

"She is, isn't she? Do you want to hold her?" Her father's eyes lit up with pride as Kate carefully transferred Ariel from her arms to her grandpa's. "Was mom this scared when it was time to take me home?"

"We both were," he remembered. "We'd never been around a newborn baby. We were the first ones among our friends to have a child. We didn't have the luxury of baby monitors back then. That first night your mother was afraid to put you down."

"What if I do this wrong?"

"Katie, you're going to be fine," Jim assured his daughter. "You're not going to be doing this alone. Rick's an old pro at this. Look at Alexis and how great she turned out. It's okay to be scared."

At that exact moment, the door opened and Castle walked in with the baby carrier that doubled as a car seat for the time being. It clipped into a holder in the car, which made it easy to get the baby in and out. They'd both practiced the mechanics of the seat to make sure they both could operate it. "Are we ready to go?" He asked.

"We were just waiting on you," Kate smiled as her dad handed the baby back over to her.

"I'll come by and check on you in a day or two. Try to rest as much as you can," Jim kissed his daughter on the forehead before shaking Rick's hand. "Take care of our girls, Rick."

"I will," Castle smiled.

Kate's first test as a mom came when it was time to strap baby Ariel into her carrier. As she was adjusting the straps, Ariel woke and began to fuss. "I'm hurting her," Kate was instantly in tears.

"You're not hurting her," Castle was quick to assure her. "They don't like being put into these things, or at least Alexis didn't. But once we get her into the car, she'll settle in. Almost all babies love car rides." He reached into the side of the diaper bag and removed a pacifier. "For the first few months, this will be your new best friend."

He quickly put the nipple into Ari's mouth as the fussing stopped. "Castle, I suck at this," Kate couldn't help whining.

"Listen to me," he turned to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "You don't suck at this. You're going to get the hang of all of this quicker than you think. Once upon a time, I thought that I sucked at this, too. Come on, let's take our daughter home."

When they got downstairs, the valet brought the car around to them as Kate took the carrier from her husband. She knew that she was going to have to learn how to take care of this small bundle of joy. After all, Castle would have book tours and other obligations where he wouldn't be home with them. She smiled triumphantly when the carrier snapped easily into the holder. "I'm going to ride back here with her," she told Castle.

"I expected nothing less," he smiled, closing the door before walking around to the driver's side and getting behind the wheel.

Just as Castle had predicted, Ariel liked riding in the car. She was once again asleep within minutes of them leaving the parking lot. Kate settled back against the seat, watching her small daughter as she slept, the pacifier falling out of her mouth onto her lap. "I still can't believe that we made a person, Castle," she smiled at him.

"How do you feel after pushing out said person?"

"Do you remember when I got the crap beat out of me by Maddox?"

"Yeah." How could he forget? That was the night they'd become a couple. That was the night that had led to where they were right now.

"That was a cakewalk compared to this," she grinned ruefully at him as he chuckled. "But, that's okay. Do you want to know why?"

"Why?"

"Because we created something so perfect. I can't believe how perfect she is, Castle. She's perfect and she's all ours."

When they arrived in the parking garage of the loft, Castle helped Kate from the car as she easily disconnected the car seat from its base. "If you've got her, I'll grab everything else."

"When did we accumulate so much stuff?" She asked him as he opened the trunk, removing her suitcase that she'd taken with her to the hospital, Ariel's diaper bag and one other bag containing items that she'd been given by the birthing center.

"Kate, get used to it. When you have a baby, you have to cart a lot of stuff with you. Come on, let's get you two home."

When they got upstairs, he put down her suitcase so that he could unlock the front door. Kate walked in, feeling like she'd been gone forever instead of for just one day. Alexis and Martha came running over to greet them. "Welcome home, kiddo," Martha hugged Kate as Alexis freed the carrier from her hands.

"Kate, can I take her out?" Alexis asked.

"Yeah, but just be careful. She doesn't like being jostled a whole lot," Kate didn't know why she felt so anxious as she watched Alexis unbuckle Ariel from the carrier and carefully lift her out without a peep from the baby. "I'm sure she'll be waking up soon to nurse."

Why did she suddenly feel like one of those out of control moms? Why did she feel the sudden need to grab her newborn daughter from her half-sister and flee with her? 'Get a grip,' she mentally chastised herself. 'Alexis isn't going to hurt her.'

"Kate, you must be starved," Martha told her. "Lunch will be ready soon."

Kate sat on the edge of one of the chairs watching Alexis fuss over the baby. Her fingers were practically itching to hold her once again. As if on cue, she saw tiny arms and legs beginning to stretch out. Alexis smiled as she looked at Kate. "I have a feeling that she's going to want you pretty quick," the redhead carefully got up and walked over to Kate.

As Alexis placed the warm bundle in her arms, Kate could feel herself visibly relax. She smiled as sleepy, unfocused eyes opened and latched onto her. "Hi, sweetie. You're home now," Kate smiled as Castle came over and perched on the arm of the chair, watching them. "I'm going to go upstairs and give her lunch."

"Hold on, I'll give you a hand," Castle told her as his wife gingerly got up and made her way to the stairs. Taking her other arm, he helped her upstairs to the baby's room and over to the rocking chair that her father had brought over before her birth.

Kate watched while Castle propped some pillows in the chair to make sure that she was comfortable enough to nurse before kissing her on the forehead. "I'll be back down in a few minutes," she smiled up at him.

"Holler if you need anything."

"I will," she lowered the strap of the loose sundress that she was wearing, smiling when she felt Ariel rooting around for what she was seeking. Finally, her tiny lips found Kate's nipple and she began to nurse happily. Dr. Caldwell had been impressed with how quickly both she and Kate had caught on to the whole breastfeeding thing.

"_If I didn't know better, I'd swear that you'd done this before."_

"_No. The only thing that I've had on my boob lately has been Castle," Kate smiled._

"_The most important thing to always remember Kate is to make sure that you're completely relaxed when you nurse. Because if you're tense, the baby will pick up on it."_

'No, nursing doesn't make me nervous,' Kate thought to herself. 'It's everything else associated with being a mom that scares the shit out of me.'

After nursing and changing the baby, she put Ari in her crib and covered her with a light blanket, making sure that nothing could be pulled over her tiny face as she slept. After checking to make sure that the baby monitor was switched on, she took a deep breath before going back downstairs, where Martha had lunch ready. Kate was glad because she was starving. As she ate, she kept glancing toward the coffee table where one of the receivers for the baby monitor was sitting. Castle had made sure that there were receivers in various areas of the house, including his office, their bedroom, the living room and even the bathroom. "Are you sure that thing's on?" Kate asked him, her voice sounding slightly nervous.

"Kate, she's fine."

"Are you sure? I mean, it's not like she can call out for help," Kate was about to bolt from the table when Castle placed a hand on her arm. "Castle, I just need to check on her."

"She's going to make herself crazy," Castle put his head in his hands.

"Richard, you might not remember this, but that was you with her," Martha said, pointing toward Alexis. "She's a new mother. I think this is the part where you need to cut her some slack."

Castle nodded before getting up and going upstairs where he found Kate gazing down at their daughter in her crib. He walked over and gently circled his arms around her, kissing her shoulder. "She's going to be okay, Kate."

"I'm going to make her a nervous wreck. I just know it," she turned toward him with tears streaming down her face.

"No you're not. Mother just reminded me that I was the exact same way when Alexis was born. I just don't remember it because it was back in the Stone Ages. You just need to give yourself time to settle in. And you have to trust yourself. You're smart. You're extraordinary," he smiled at her. "You're going to figure out this whole motherhood thing."

"I love you," she kissed him.

"Why? Because I'm so smart?"

"No, because you helped me create something so perfect," she kissed him again before he pressed her against his chest and held her tightly.

"Kate, thank you for doing this with me. I think that parenthood is going to be so much better with someone to share it with."

"Always," she held him as they both watched their daughter sleep.

**A/N #3: Some chapters will be longer, some will be shorter. I've been challenged to write 30 chapters. If there's anything anyone wants me to include in this journey, please let me know.**

**A/N #4: Not all chapters will put you in a sugar coma, I promise. Angst is my bread and butter. Light and fluffy is something of a challenge, so bear with me.**

**A/N #5: I apologize for the extreme overuse of the word 'perfect' in this chapter. It just fit with the theme.**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960**

**I can be found on Tumblr Caskett1960**


	2. Chapter 2--Adjusting

**Disclaimers: If only.**

**A/N #1: I won't be putting summaries on every chapter unless there's something that readers need to be aware of. **

**A/N #2: I want to thank my reviewers for the kind words. For the one who said I was writing OOC, all I have to say is none of us know how Kate Beckett would be with a child. I know that as a childless person, being around babies makes me uncomfortable and I have nieces and nephews.**

**A/N #3: I had to make a 'For Lovers Only' reference in this story, but mainly because I'm a huge John Lennon fan.**

Chapter 2: Adjusting

_May_

Hearing her newborn daughter's cries over the baby monitor was a more effective means of waking up than an alarm clock ever was. Even if Kate didn't hear the cries, her breasts definitely did. The moment the tinny cries came over the box by her side of the bed, her milk began to let down, soaking the shirt that she was wearing. "Is that normal?" Castle asked, noticing his wife's soaking wet chest when she crawled out of bed.

"According to the baby books, yes. It never happened to Meredith?"

"She never breast fed, so I guess not."

"I have to go feed Ari," she grabbed a dry shirt before dashing from the room. By the time she reached the nursery, her small daughter was in full voice. "Hey, it's okay," Kate crooned, walking over and scooping the small bundle up in her arms before walking over to the changing table. "Are we hungry?" Kate pulled the tabs from the diaper and quickly removed it. "I see the problem already. Wet and hungry is never a good combination, is it?"

Downstairs, Castle smiled as he listened to Kate talking to the baby through the monitor. They had both done it and they'd both been busted by the other. He still thought that it was unbelievably cute.

Upstairs in the nursery, Kate put a dry diaper on Ari before changing her own shirt and settling into the rocking chair. Pulling the front of her shirt down, Ari latched onto her nipple in seconds flat. She had to keep a nursing pad pressed to her other breast as the baby nursed. She'd read about this in all of the baby books, but it was embarrassing to actually have it happen. Since her daughter's birth, she felt as if her body was metamorphosing in a hundred different ways. She smiled, watching the tiny miracle at her breast.

She looked toward the doorway and smiled at the sight of Castle standing there watching her. "I thought that I'd come up and check on my girls," he walked over and knelt down by the rocker, stroking his daughter's downy cheek with his finger.

"She was hungry and wet. She wasn't happy about it."

"Do you blame her?"

Kate switched breasts as Ariel grunted in protest. "Hey, you emptied that one. Take it easy," she told her small daughter. "Give me a few more minutes and then she's all yours."

"So, does it feel weird?" He asked.

"Right now, it all feels a little strange, Castle. Until I actually did it, I never would've believed that I could squeeze a person out of my body," she rolled her eyes as Castle burst out laughing. "So, yes, breastfeeding is just one more strange thing that I'm getting used to. Here," she held the baby out, "she's all yours."

Kate got out of the rocker before Castle took her place, throwing a burp rag over his shoulder and gently rubbing the baby's back. Ariel seemed tinier than ever against Castle's huge chest. After getting a couple of good burps from his daughter, Castle took her over to the changing table, where he swaddled her like a human burrito. "I think we've got this whole feeding and burping thing down," he smiled at Kate.

"Well, we're partners. Teamwork is how we roll," she kissed him on the cheek. "I'm going to go get dressed."

"Well, young lady, let's go downstairs and make mommy breakfast," Castle told his daughter, who for the moment seemed relatively happy.

When Kate came into the living room moments later, Ariel was asleep in her bassinet and Castle was in the kitchen making breakfast. "Why is it that you can get her to go to sleep in 30 seconds and it takes me an hour?" She complained.

"Because I'm relaxed," he told her, handing her a glass of apple juice. She still refused to drink orange juice.

"I'm telling you that Burke is going to have to offer me a family discount," she sipped her juice.

"Kate, you're a first time mom. You're expected to be a little tense."

"Castle, she's been home for four days. I know by now that I'm not going to break her. I miss my coffee," she grumbled.

"Kate, Dr. Caldwell didn't say that you had to completely give up coffee, just moderate your intake."

"Castle, have you ever known me to drink coffee in moderation? I gave it up for seven months while I was pregnant. I can give it up for a little while longer. I'll just pretend that I'm practicing a really long term form of Lent."

"Well, I have meetings at Black Pawn in the morning. Do you want to come with me?"

"Castle, I have to learn to take care of her. I'm pretty sure I can handle things for a couple of hours."

Kate ran her hands through her unruly hair as she watched Castle cook breakfast. She then glanced toward the bassinet where her small daughter was sleeping. What was it about that six pound bundle in that bassinet that made her feel like a rookie straight out of the police academy? "When Alexis was born, Meredith hired a baby nurse for a few weeks," Castle remembered as Kate turned her attention back to him. "I didn't agree to it, but I knew that Meredith had just had a c-section, so she needed recovery time. Only, the baby nurse did all of the work. By the time the baby nurse left at the end of the third week, Meredith felt good enough to return to work. Which left me alone with Alexis. Kate, you have no idea how lucky we are."

"How so?"

"Meredith gave birth to a redhead with the temper to match," Castle remembered as Kate smiled. "It felt like the nurse had no sooner walked out of that door over there than Alexis began to scream. Loudly. For three hours. I felt like a complete failure as a father. I tried rocking her, bouncing her, singing to her, feeding her, changing her. All of the stuff the nurse had instructed me to do. Because, unlike the Deep-Fried Twinkie, I at least paid attention. I called the woman for help. I think that I was even crying. She came over, pulled out a blanket and turned my screaming daughter into a Taco Bell Burrito. It was like someone had turned off a switch. The crying stopped instantly."

"I have noticed that Ariel does like the whole burrito thing."

"All I'm saying is that I got the hang of it and so will you. I mean, it wasn't always a picnic with Alexis, but at least I no longer felt like I couldn't do it. Besides, with any luck, maybe she'll sleep the whole time I'm gone."

***CCC***

"_Besides, with any luck, maybe she'll sleep the whole time I'm gone."_

Kate knew she wouldn't be that lucky. She'd done the whole swaddling her like a burrito thing, but Ariel was still crying at the top of her lungs. "Ari, shhh," Kate crooned to the screaming, reddening infant in her arms. "We can do this. _I _can do this. How about some music?"

Kate put her iPod into the docking station and scrolled through her music choices. Since falling in love and marrying Castle, she'd downloaded a lot of love songs. Because, after all, when you were in love, all of the songs make sense. She didn't want to play anything too loud or too jarring. After several hit and miss selections, she hit on one that actually made Ari stop crying. "Really? Wow, your daddy will be impressed with your tastes in music."

_Love is real , real is love__**  
**__Love is feeling , feeling love__**  
**__Love is__wanting__to be loved_

_Love is touch, touch is love__**  
**__Love is__reaching__, reaching love__**  
**__Love is asking to be loved_

_Love is you__**  
**__You and me__**  
**__Love is__knowing__**  
**__we can be_

_Love is free, free is love__**  
**__Love is living, living love__**  
**__Love is needed to be loved_

Kate put the song on a loop to keep Ariel calm while she walked over to the sofa and sat down. "How about if I tell you a story?" Kate stretched her legs out and placed the still calm, swaddled newborn on them. "Once upon a time there was this woman named Kate, who sometime in the future you will refer to as 'mom,' 'mommy,' or when you're really irritated, 'moooother.' Anyway, this woman named Kate met this writer named Rick, who you know better as 'daddy.' Rick was slightly annoying. Kate even referred to him as a 'nine-year-old on a sugar rush.' Anyway, Kate and Rick fell in love. And because they loved each other so much, they decided that they wanted to expand that love, which is where you come into the picture."

Kate had heard Rick through the baby monitor more times than she could count talking to Ariel as she was doing now. She'd thought that it sounded silly, but as she sat here talking, it didn't feel silly, at all. It just felt natural, even thought she knew that Ari couldn't understand a word that she was saying. The baby seemed to enjoy the sound of her voice and Kate could feel herself relaxing as she continued to talk.

"Daddy will be the one home with you most of the time because he works from home. Mommy will be the one with the gun who scares all of your boyfriends away. Although daddy's pretty good at scaring boyfriends away, too. Just ask your big sister."

Kate smiled as Ariel's eyes became heavier and heavier. She finally fell sound asleep as Kate carefully lifted her into her arms and took her over to the bassinet and placed her in it, covering her with a blanket. She decided to leave the iPod on just in case.

She was nursing the baby when Castle walked in almost two hours later. He smiled at the sight of his wife and daughter. This was a picture of domestic bliss that he'd missed with Meredith. "I see that you survived," he walked over and kissed Kate before placing a soft kiss on the top of Ariel's head.

"Piece of cake. I make murder suspects cry in interrogation. Did you really think that I couldn't take care of my own baby for a few hours?"

"Music to nurse by?" Castle asked, walking over and turning off the iPod.

"Okay, so she had a screaming fit," Kate admitted. "But, she's a Lennon fan."

"I knew that the kid had good taste," he grinned.

That night, Kate handed Ari over to Castle after she'd finished nursing her. She couldn't help the huge grin that came over her face watching him gently rubbing his daughter's tiny back. "Have I ever told you how sexy fatherhood looks on you?"

"Tell me that the next time our daughter spits up all over me and you run from the room screaming because I stink," he made reference to an earlier incident involving their daughter spewing like a volcano.

"Yeah, the spitting up is taking a little getting used to," she made a face.

"Hey, at least being breastfed, she doesn't do it as often as Alexis did. There were times when I expected her head to start spinning around."

"Are you ever upset because you had to do it alone?"

"Sometimes," he stopped rubbing Ari's back to look at his wife. "Meredith missed out on so many things, Kate. When you have a baby, there are so many little milestones. I was the first one to see every one of them. Which was great, but sad, at the same time. This time, I have someone to share those milestones with. While I hope to see some of them first, I want you to experience them, too."

"I'm so happy that we're doing this together, Castle."

"Me, too. Now, I'm going to go put Sleeping Beauty to bed. I'll be right back."

Kate was drifting off to sleep when she heard Castle's voice through the baby monitor. 'Busted again,' she thought to herself.

"I love you, baby girl," she heard him tell Ariel. "Get your rest so that you can grow up to be as beautiful and extraordinary as your mommy."

As she fell asleep, Kate knew that she was going to be okay as a mom. She was just going to have to make all of the adjustments along the way.

**A/N #4: I want to thank everybody who has given me ideas. I'll be utilizing a lot of them for this story starting with the next chapter. **

**Find me on Twitter Caskett1960**


	3. Chapter 3--Gifts

**Disclaimers: No, although my computer has been taken over by my 'Castle' screensaver.**

**A/N #1: In Chapter 20 of 'Mind Games,' I wrote about a ring that Castle had given Kate as a late Mother's Day gift. I'll write about that ring in this chapter.**

**A/N #2: I want to thank Missy52061 for the idea for this chapter. I hope that you enjoy it.**

Chapter 3: Gifts

_End of May_

"I'm glad that you could meet me, pumpkin," Castle kissed his daughter as she sat across from him in the small restaurant near the loft.

"It sounded important. Are Kate and Ariel okay?"

"They're both fine. Ari's getting bigger by the day," he smiled proudly.

"I know, daddy. I just saw her yesterday," the young redhead reminded him.

"Anyway, the reason that I wanted you to meet me is I know that I didn't get Kate anything for Mother's Day and I probably should have even though Ari wasn't here, yet. I just wasn't sure what to get her. I could really use your help."

"Well, let's see what we can come up with," Alexis brought out her tablet and booted it up. She brought up her bookmark for Tiffany's, giving her father a wry grin.

"You have learned well, grasshopper," he complimented her. Every piece of jewelry he'd ever bought had come from the world famous jeweler's. Why should his wife's Mother's Day gift be any different? "Go to the rings. I have an idea."

Alexis brought up the rings and they perused them, finally finding something that they both liked. "This is perfect. You can add a stone for you, Kate, and Ari."

"And you," Castle added.

"Daddy—"

"No. Kate would agree with me on this one. You're Ari's sister, and as such, you deserve to be included in on her gift. Come on, let's go to Tiffany's."

Kate had just put the baby down for a nap and was lost in a book in the corner of the sofa when Castle walked in with Alexis. "Hi, Alexis," she got up and greeted her with a hug. "I just put Ari down for a nap."

"Kate, I don't just drop by to see my sister," Alexis grinned at her father.

"I was thinking that maybe we could take the baby and have lunch one day next week," Kate suggested.

"That sounds great," Alexis agreed. "There's a new bistro that just opened near Columbia. It's small and quiet."

"Small and quiet sounds great, especially for a day out with Ariel."

Castle was cooking dinner for everybody a little over an hour later when Martha blew in like the hurricane that her son often likened her to. "Good evening, mother. Just in time for dinner, I see," Rick smiled indulgently at his mother.

"Hello, Richard," she kissed him before going over to greet her granddaughter and daughter-in-law. "Where is my baby?"

"Asleep. She should be waking up soon," Kate smiled.

"Katherine, you must be so tired of being cooped up," Martha sat down. "How about if we get together tomorrow and have lunch? I'm anxious to show off my newest granddaughter."

"Wow, two lunch dates in one week," Kate smiled at Castle. "I'd love to."

They made plans for the next afternoon just as Kate heard the first squawks coming from upstairs indicating that Ariel was awake. Kate excused herself to go upstairs. "Dad, did you tell gram about the ring?" Alexis whispered to her father.

"What ring?" Martha asked.

"Daddy and I picked out the most beautiful ring for Kate," Alexis explained. "It's a belated Mother's Day present. It'll be ready next week. I can't wait for her to see it."

"Alexis, it's supposed to be a surprise," Castle reminded his daughter. "Keep your voice down."

Martha and Alexis were both thrilled when Kate came downstairs with baby Ariel. "Come here to grandma," Martha held her hands out for the baby.

"Be careful, mother," Castle warned Martha as she began to bounce the baby. "She just ate."

"Richard, I've never had a baby spit up on me in my life. Not you, not Alexis, and certainly not this one."

"I've also been lucky," Kate told Martha, "although Ari's nailed Rick a few times."

"Well, there's always a first time," Rick said as he walked over and set the table. "Dinner will be ready in about five minutes."

"So, Rick never spit up on you?" Kate asked in amazement.

"No, although he did pee on me a few times and he ever managed to poop on me once."

"Gross, gram," Alexis made a face.

"Rick's been on the receiving end of that, too," Kate burst out laughing, remembering a night a few nights previously when the diaper change had come seconds too late.

"Karma's a bitch, Beckett," he reminded his wife.

Kate was still laughing hysterically when Rick called them to the table. "Alexis, you can put Ari in her carrier," Kate instructed.

"I can't believe how alert she is," Martha commented. "I'd give Richard a bottle and he'd immediately go back to sleep. So would Alexis, if memory serves me right."

"She usually stays awake for a little while now after she eats. But, you're right. She is very observant."

Martha left after dinner with a promise that she and Kate would meet for lunch the next afternoon. Alexis stayed for a little while before she left for the night, leaving the new parents alone with their small charge. "So, Ari's having her first restaurant outing tomorrow," Castle sat down beside Kate. "Are you worried about having to nurse her in public?"

"No. If people don't like it, they don't have to watch me. Jenny's already given me explicit instructions regarding the logistics of nursing in public places."

"I just don't want you getting upset."

"Why would I get upset?"

"Because there are people out there who are insensitive clods."

"Rick, your mother has asked me to lunch. Me and Ariel. Do you honestly expect me to keep your daughter locked up in the loft until she's weaned to a cup? I don't think so."

"I'm sorry," he kissed her. "I'm still getting used to this whole nursing thing. Meredith never wanted to and I never pushed the issue."

"Rick, do you feel like you're being left out? I know that you got to bond with Alexis over giving her bottles. I could express milk and let you have one feeding in the middle of the night."

"Kate, I don't feel left out. I get plenty of time to bond with Ariel. I'll take over one feeding in a few weeks maybe, but for right now I think she should have the time with you."

"You'll let me know if you do feel left out, won't you?"

"I'll tell you," he kissed her, his lips soft against hers.

For their outing the next afternoon, Kate dressed Ariel in a frilly purple dress with the smallest white tights she'd ever seen. She snapped her carrier into the base in the Mercedes and drove to the restaurant to meet Martha. The older woman met her on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. "Oh Kate, she looks adorable," Martha gushed over the sleeping baby. "I got us a table in the back. That way we won't have people bumping and jostling by us."

"That sounds great," Kate said as they entered the restaurant. As they headed for their table, she was alarmed by the number of people who seemed to want to touch Ariel in her carrier. She felt like screaming at them to keep their hands away from her daughter. "Have they never seen a baby before?" She asked as they sat down and she placed the carrier on one of the spare chairs, making sure that it was secure.

"Strangers love to touch babies. When we'd take Alexis out, people always wanted to touch her because of her red hair. Don't let it frighten you, darling. It's just the way of some people."

"I guess the cop in me is a little unnerved by it," she admitted as their waiter came over and took their drink order. "Can you tell me some Rick stories?"

"Richard was a big baby," Martha remembered. "But, he was always so happy. I remember that I was doing a play on Broadway at the time and the rest of the cast absolutely adored him. I never had to look for a babysitter the entire time I was doing the play. Kate, there are a lot of things that I wish that I'd done differently, but the one thing that I never regretted was keeping my son. I could be at my absolute lowest point and he'd always say or do something to make me laugh."

"He still does that," Kate smiled.

"I was doing _'South Pacific' _in summer stock in some little town in upstate New York. Richard was about three at the time. I'd just ended things with his first stepfather and was down in the dumps. He came in and started singing 'Some Enchanted Evening.' Of course, he couldn't carry a tune and messed up most of the lyrics, but it was still so sweet."

"I discovered, quite by accident, that Ari is a Beatles fan."

"Richard is, too."

"I know. Now I just need to get her hooked on Coltrane," Kate sighed wistfully as Martha laughed.

"Hey kiddo, at least she likes the Beatles and not disco. Richard will never admit it, but he used to love KC and the Sunshine Band."

Kate enjoyed her time out with Martha. They laughed and shared stories of Rick and Alexis. "Martha, can I ask you a question. Rick doesn't talk about it, and I hate to ask. Why wasn't Meredith ever in Alexis' life more?"

"Mainly because she never wanted to grow up. Being a mother means having to take on responsibility. Alexis was good for Richard. She forced him to grow up a little. But he also stayed childlike for her. They used to have the best times when Alexis was small."

"Uh, I seem to remember a laser tag match when Alexis was about 15," Kate said, remembering the first time she'd ever stepped into the loft that she now called home.

"He put that laser tag gun into Alexis' hands when her hands were so small she couldn't even reach the trigger. I suspect he'll do the same with this one," Martha nodded toward Ariel, who was still sleeping in her carrier, oblivious to the din of diners around her.

"Rick said that it sometimes makes him sad that Meredith missed out on so many things in Alexis' life. I find it hard to understand. I see changes in Ariel every single day. I'd hate to miss out on that."

"Well, you've met Meredith. Need I say anything more?"

"No, I guess not."

Castle was on the phone when Kate entered the loft with a loudly crying Ariel an hour later. "Okay, sweetie. Let me get you out of this and we'll have lunch," Kate quickly unsnapped the harness and carefully lifted her from it.

Castle was pacing around the room as he watched Kate settle into a corner of the sofa with the baby. She unbuttoned the top two buttons on her shirt and released the flap on her nursing bra before putting Ariel to her, as the noise instantly ceased. "Yeah, I'll talk to you next week. Bye," he ended his call before coming over to sit beside his wife and baby.

"What was that all about?"

"I have a meeting at Black Pawn next Wednesday."

"Have you ever tried to drive with a screaming baby in the car? It's not an experience that I recommend," Kate made a face.

"Alexis screamed from the beach to the city when she was about six months old. I contemplated driving off of the George Washington Bridge. Why didn't you just feed her before you headed for home?"

"Because she was asleep and I really thought that she'd stay that way."

"Babies never do anything that you expect them to do," he kissed her, smiling as she switched sides. "How was lunch with mother?"

"Wonderful. She told me that you were a happy-go-lucky baby who sang show tunes when you were a toddler."

"My mother was a theater actress. Of course I would know show tunes. It was part of my upbringing."

"So, what's going on with Black Pawn?"

"I might have to go on another book tour," he made a face.

"Might or will?"

"Okay, I'm going to have to go on a book tour. Kate, I'm going to be gone for two months."

"When?"

"Paula said probably September or October. She's getting everything finalized now. I tried to get her to set it up while you were still on maternity leave, but she hasn't budged."

"Rick, I have plenty of accumulated time. I can get my leave extended. That's not the problem. The problem is you're going to be gone for two months."

"Then, you and Ari come with me."

"Come with you where? Where are you going for this tour?"

"London, Paris, Dublin, Madrid. Come with me," he repeated.

"Rick, I can't. Ariel won't have all of her inoculations yet. It won't be safe to take her out of the country. As much as I'd love to make our daughter an international traveler, I think we should wait on that one just a little while longer."

"I don't want to go," he whined.

"I know," she stroked his neck. "And I don't want you to go. But, you're a bestselling author. You knew that this was part of the deal when you sold your first book."

"Paula was also telling me that she's in negotiations for me to write the screenplay for _Heat Rises_. If I do that, I'll probably by flying back and forth to Los Angeles."

"Rick, relax. Let's take things one step at a time. Worry about the European tour and then see what Paula has planned for you next."

"Two months, Kate. I'm going to miss so much stuff," he continued to whine.

"I know, but thanks to 21st century technology, you won't have to," she smiled at him, holding up her phone. "They call it a smart phone for a reason. Plus, we'll talk on Skype every night just like we did when you left on the tour when I was pregnant."

"The time change is going to make it rough this time."

"We'll work it out," she kissed him gently. "We always do. As soon as you get the dates, I'll call Capt. Gates and get my leave extended."

***CCC***

Kate was getting Ariel ready to go and meet Alexis for lunch when Rick came out of the bedroom dressed to go to his meeting with Black Pawn. "Jerry's going to drop me off first, and then he's going to take you ladies to your lunch date. Call him when you're ready to come home. I'll grab a cab. Oh, mother and Alexis are coming for dinner later."

"Okay." Why was he so concerned? It wasn't like they didn't come to dinner on a regular basis.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah."

Jerry, Castle's usual driver, dropped him off at his Publisher's. "I'll talk to you in a few hours," he kissed Kate and the baby before hopping out of the car. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

She waved as he entered the building and Jerry pulled back into traffic. "Congratulations on the baby, Mrs. Castle," Jerry smiled at her in the rear view mirror.

"Thank you, Jerry."

"Mr. Castle's a very proud father. He's always talking about 'his girls' this and 'the baby did that.'"

Kate couldn't help smiling as Jerry drove to the restaurant. When he dropped them off, she promised to call him when they were ready to leave. She got out of the car and released the car seat before entering the restaurant where she saw Alexis waving to her. "Hi, sweetie," Kate greeted her with a hug and a kiss as she settled the baby before taking her seat. "Your dad told me that you and your gram are joining us for dinner tonight."

"It's okay, isn't it?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, I know that he said that you sometimes still get tired from taking care of the baby."

"I'm fine. Speaking of taking care of the baby, did he tell you that he's going to Europe in the fall?" She asked as the waiter came over to the table.

"Yeah, for two months. That sucks," Alexis made a face. "If you want, I can stay at the loft with you while he's gone. At least that way you won't be alone."

"Alexis, I spent a lot of time alone before I married your dad. There are times when I still like my solitude. But thank you for the offer."

Kate immediately saw how crestfallen her stepdaughter was and felt guilty. Would it really be so awful to have company for two months? It wasn't like she despised Alexis' company. In fact, she loved it. "Alexis, I'm sorry," Kate told her. "You know what; actually having you stay with me would really help a lot."

"Really?" Alexis beamed, her smile so much like Rick's that Kate had to smile.

"Of course, really. We'll have a blast. And I'm sure it'll make your father feel better knowing that you're there with us."

"Thank you, Kate. And if you want to be alone, just say the word. I can go and hang out with my friends."

When Castle left his publisher, he walked to the curb and hailed a cab, giving the driver a familiar address as he pulled out his cell phone. Kate's father answered on the second ring. "Rick, is something wrong?"

"No, not at all. I'm calling to invite you to dinner this evening. I've gotten Kate a very special late Mother's Day gift and I wanted the family to be there when I give it to her."

"What time should I be there?"

"Seven?"

"I'll be there, Rick."

When he walked into the loft, Kate and Alexis were huddled together on the sofa watching TV, undoubtedly some chick flick that he had no interest in. "Hey, Castle," Kate breathed when her husband walked over and kissed her, before kissing his daughter. "Martha will be here in about an hour. Can you bathe Ariel after I feed her? I'd like her to be presentable when company arrives."

"I will gladly make our daughter clean and presentable," he kissed her again.

"I like the way that you guys share stuff," Alexis told Kate. "My dad had to do it all alone with me right from the beginning."

"Your dad does a better job at the whole bathing thing. I think that I get too nervous and Ari senses it. I never realized that holding onto a wet, screaming baby is like holding onto a fish."

"We'll figure it out when daddy goes on tour. After all, we can't leave her filthy and unwashed for two months."

"No, we can't," Kate agreed.

Kate came into the bathroom later where her husband was bathing their daughter in her small baby bathtub perched on the vanity. "You do know that you're not going to hurt her," he looked at his wife. "She'll like it a lot more when she figures out that she can splash in the water."

"So, did you get your dates?"

"We'll talk about it later," he carefully removed Ari from the tub and placed her on a soft towel, swaddling her before handing her over to Kate. "I'm going to go and start dinner."

"Daddy's upset because he doesn't want to leave us," Kate whispered to her daughter as she carried her into the nursery. "I think he also gets upset with me because I'm so awful at some of this."

Downstairs, Alexis' eyes met her father's as they heard Kate's words over the baby monitor. "Does she know that we can hear her?" Alexis asked.

"We both forget that it's there."

"Is that true? Do you get upset because she can't do all of it?" Alexis came over and sat on one of the bar stools.

"I don't get upset, Alexis. I just want Kate to relax a little bit. Believe it or not, the newborn stuff is the easy part. It's not going to get any easier from here on out."

"Please tell me that you're not going to take your anger out on her because you're frustrated about having to go on tour."

"No," he shook his head.

"I'm going to stay here while you're gone," she told him as he smiled.

"Thank you, pumpkin."

"I think I'll go see if Kate needs any help."

Kate was surprised when her father arrived at the same time as Martha. "Dad, this is a nice surprise," she kissed her father.

"Rick called me this afternoon and invited me. Where's my granddaughter?" He beamed as he walked over to the couch where Alexis was holding the baby.

"Once he used to come around to see me," Kate made a face as Castle came over and kissed her.

"Sorry, Beckett. Right now, Ariel has the advantage over you. She's little and cute," he kissed her again as she leaned into him.

"I used to be little and cute," she looked over at her father, who was holding Ariel and making funny faces at her. "What is it about a tiny baby that makes grown men make silly faces?"

"For the record, Kate, you were long and skinny. But you were cute," her father conceded on one count as Kate rolled her eyes.

They all laughed and caught up with each other over dinner. "So, is Ari still waking you up every four hours?" Martha asked.

"Yeah, but Castle started taking over one feeding, so I get to sleep a little bit more."

A couple of nights before, Castle had decided that he wanted to spend more time with Ari in the middle of the night, so Kate let him handle the two o'clock feeding. It served a two-fold purpose. Kate got a little more sleep and it let Ari get used to a bottle.

"She should start sleeping a little longer soon," Jim told his daughter. "I think you were sleeping through the night when you weren't much older than she is now."

Kate noticed that Castle seemed melancholy during dinner. She reached over and squeezed his hand. "So, do you want to give them the bad news or should I?" She asked him.

"I'm leaving on a European book tour on the 8th of September. I won't be back until November 10. So, I need for you guys to keep an eye on things for me while I'm gone."

"You don't even have to ask, Rick," Jim told him. "I can stay here with them if you'd like."

"Dad, you don't have to do that. Alexis is going to stay here with me. We'll be fine. I'm not totally incompetent," she glared at her husband.

"Kate—"

"It's okay," she shook her head.

"Daddy, give it to her," Alexis hissed at her father, begging him with her eyes to save the evening before it was too late.

Kate looked from Alexis to her husband, wondering what in the hell was going on. "Kate, you missed your first Mother's Day by mere days. I should've gotten you something, anyway. So, Alexis and I had something designed that I think you're going to like."

He smiled as he handed Kate the tell-tale blue Tiffany's box. She opened the lid and gasped. "Rick, this is beautiful," she breathed, admiring the 24 karat gold ring with the four different colored stones.

"They're usually referred to as Mother's rings, but I like to think of it as a family ring instead. The outside stones represent our birthstones. A diamond for April and topaz for November. The two inside stones represent our family. The ruby is Alexis' birthstone for July and the emerald is for Ariel. The jeweler said he can add stones to it as we grow our family."

"Rick . . . Castle, this is beautiful," she grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him. He then took the ring and slipped it onto her right hand, much as he'd slipped her other rings on her left hand before. She kissed him once more before slipping her arms around his neck and just holding him.

Kate woke up later that night to find Castle's side of the bed empty. She didn't hear anything through the baby monitor, so she crept out of bed and left the bedroom, padding upstairs to the nursery where she found her husband sitting in the rocking chair, holding Ariel, who was sound asleep in his arms. "Castle, you're spoiling her," she warned him, before walking over and sitting on the floor at his feet.

"I was just thinking," he mused, adjusting the warm bundle in his arms. "That when I come back in November, she'll be almost five months old. She probably won't be waking up in the middle of the night, anymore. I'm going to miss these moments with her."

Seeing how sad he was, Kate regretted that she was still weeks away from comforting him in the way that she knew best. "Castle, do you remember when you told me that there are things that we're each going to miss? This is just going to be one of those things. Think of it this way. This is how you provide for her. For us. You're doing this so that she can go to great schools like her big sister. So that she can have all of those adventures that you had with Alexis. Laser tag and the playground. Although I advise you to not look at those single women," she warned him as he laughed. "Put her to bed and then join me in ours."

Kate was drifting off to sleep when she felt Castle get into bed a few minutes later. "Let's go to the Hamptons house this weekend," he suggested. "I want to spend some time there before I have to leave. Are you going to call Gates in the morning?"

"Yes on both counts," she murmured sleepily. "Thank you for my ring, Castle. I think it's the sweetest thing you've ever given me. Well, except for that small gift sleeping upstairs in the nursery right now."

"You're welcome. I love you."

"Me, too. Always," she kissed him before quickly falling asleep. She knew that six a.m. came much too quickly and that small gift upstairs would be screaming for her breakfast.

As she fell asleep, she said a silent prayer for all of the gifts in her life. Her father, Alexis, Ariel, Martha, but especially for the man sleeping at her side right now.

**A/N #3: For those of you who don't know who KC & the Sunshine Band is, Google them. I'm a child of the 70's, so I grew up on disco. **

**A/N #4: I will include more bonding moments when they get to the Hamptons. I'll also go into more detail about what transpired after Kate's visit to Josh from Chapter 20 of 'Mind Games.'**


	4. Chapter 4--Becoming a Couple Again

**Disclaimers: Only in my wildest dreams. **

**Summary: Summer in the Hamptons house as Ariel continues to grow and develop. This chapter takes place after the final chapter of 'Mind Games.' **

**A/N #1: This chapter will explore two firsts: Ariel's first shots and the first time Rick and Kate leave her with someone for an evening out. Rated T for language.**

**A/N #2: I pulled this chapter and reposted due to some errors that I'd made. So if you reviewed already, thank you. Thank you, Emily, for correcting me on Gina and Paula. I always get them reversed. Also, thank you for correcting me regarding Monkey Bunky. I've watched 'Little Girl Lost' at least five time, so I don't know why I got it backwards.**

Chapter 4: Becoming a Couple Again

_July_

"Castle! Castle! Help me! Castle!"

Castle knew never to touch her when she was in the middle of one of her nightmares. The first and only time he'd touched her while trying to awaken her, she'd knocked him off of the bed. "Kate, wake up," he kept his voice low and gentle. Eventually his voice would get through her sleeping brain. "Come on, wake up. Come back to me."

Eventually, her eyes found his, wide and green, as her heart still continued to race. "I have to check on Ari," were the first words out of her mouth as she jumped out of bed and ran to the nursery across the hall.

Castle threw the covers back and got out of bed, almost colliding with Alexis as she came out of her room. "It's okay, pumpkin. Go back to bed," he was quick to assure her before walking into the nursery.

He found Kate sitting in the rocking chair in the corner of the room, cradling a soundly sleeping Ariel in her arms. "She's fine, Kate," he knelt down by the chair. "Was he chasing you again?"

"No," she sobbed. "He was in here with Ari. She was crying, but I couldn't get to her. Did I make a mistake, Castle? Was I wrong to confront him?"

"Kate, you and Burke talked about this for months. You also talked about this with me. I don't like the fact that you confronted him, but I agree with Burke that it was something that you needed to do. Until you did it, you were never going to be free from him."

"Castle, I'm still not free from him. Now I'm having nightmares where he's taking our daughter! _Our _baby, Castle!"

"Kate, it was just a dream. Josh," she cringed at the mention of his name, but he quickly continued, "is in prison. He's going to be there for a long time. He can't get near any of us. You're safe and so are our children."

She smiled, always liking that he included Alexis when he talked about 'their' children. At times she felt like Alexis was her daughter, as much so as the daughter that she'd given birth to. After all, Alexis came to her when she wanted to talk about women issues. She never went to her mother or grandmother. It was always Kate, more so since the birth of Ariel two months before.

"Help me put her back to bed," she handed Ari over to him as he carefully stood up and walked over to the crib. "Are you going with me to her doctor's appointment on Friday? I don't want to freak when that doctor puts a needle in her."

"Of course I'll go with you," he pulled her close after he'd put the baby in her crib and covered her.

Ariel had an appointment to get her first inoculations and needle-phobic Kate was terrified. Castle knew that there was no way he'd let her go through that alone. He remembered when Alexis had gotten her first shots and the fear that he'd felt. "I just want to keep her safe, Castle," she whispered as they went back to their room.

"We'll always keep her safe, Kate," he helped her under the covers before getting in and pulling her close to his chest as they both drifted off.

Alexis was already at the table the next morning when her father and Kate walked in. "Daddy, I was thinking," Alexis said, watching as they went and got coffee. "You and Kate haven't had a chance to go out since Ariel was born. You should have a date night. Gram and I can take care of the baby for a few hours."

Kate looked at her husband before fixing her eyes on Alexis. "Uh Alexis, that's very sweet, but I don't feel right leaving Ari just yet." 

"Kate, she'll be fine," Alexis assured her. "It's not like I haven't taken care of her before."

"Yeah, but I've been here or your dad. Alexis, what if something were to happen?"

"Kate, I know how to call 9-1-1. I've taken infant CPR classes. I just want you and dad to go out by yourselves for a romantic dinner. Will you at least think about it?"

"Kate, this is Alexis we're talking about," Castle gently reminded his wife. "She's not going to sell Ariel to a band of gypsies while we're out. You've left her with me while you've had lunch with Lanie."

"But, that was you and it was in the daytime," Kate argued.

"You know what, Kate? I'm not going to let anything happen to her! I just thought that you'd want to go out for a few hours with your husband!" Alexis got up and ran from the house in tears.

"God, Castle. Are all first time mothers this paranoid?"

"I don't think you're being paranoid. I think you're still feeling the effects of your nightmare from last night and it's affecting your thinking."

"I didn't mean to hurt her feelings."

"Then, you know what? Go outside and tell Alexis that," he turned her toward the patio doors.

Kate took a deep breath before opening the French doors and walking out onto the patio where she saw Alexis sitting with her feet dangling over the pool. She walked over and sat down, immediately noticing the tears on the young woman's cheeks. "Alexis, I'm so sorry. Last night I had a really bad dream and I think it's still on my mind."

"Was Josh chasing you again?" Alexis was very familiar with Kate's nightmares and flashbacks.

"No. This time I . . . he was in the nursery with Ari. She kept crying and I couldn't reach her. As a parent, you'll do anything to keep your children safe."

"Can I ask you a question?" Alexis asked as Kate nodded. "Were you angry when my dad went to Paris without telling you?"

"I was angry," Kate admitted, "but I was more scared than anything else. We'd never done anything without the other before. I understand why he did it. I kept telling him that we were going to get you back. He told me to stop saying that because if I failed, he'd never be able to forgive me. Alexis, I trust you with Ari completely. I've just never left her at night before. So it makes me a little nervous."

"I will text you with updates every 15 minutes," Alexis smiled.

"Can you make it every 10?" Kate made a face as Alexis reached out and hugged her.

"Kate, she's going to be fine. We always have a great time together."

Kate knew this much to be true. Ariel had started smiling when she was six weeks old and she smiled for everybody in her family, but especially for her daddy and big sister. Kate would watch Alexis as she made noises and faces at her sister, who just ate it up.

"Kate," both women turned to find Rick standing in the doorway with a loudly crying Ariel, "I think someone wants breakfast."

"Thanks, Kate," Alexis called out when Kate got to her feet.

"No problem," Kate smiled before going to retrieve her daughter from her father. "Good morning, sweetie," Kate smothered Ariel's small cheek with kisses as the crying instantly stopped and was replaced by the sweetest of smiles.

While most smiles were reserved for Castle and Alexis, Kate had proven to be the pro at getting the crying to stop. "So, did you agree to what Alexis was suggesting?" Castle asked as Kate settled into the rocker/recliner to feed the baby.

"Let's just say I'm more open to the idea."

"How about if I call and make reservations for the East Hampton Inn for Saturday night? I can make seven o'clock reservations and we can be home by ten," Castle suggested.

"Well, it would be nice to see if I can get back into my black dress," she smiled.

"I'll call as soon as they open. Do you mind if we stop by Black Pawn Friday before we head back here after Ariel's appointment?"

"No. Why? Does Paula have some stuff for you to sign?"

"No, I just need to talk to her about something," he answered vaguely as he watched her feed the baby.

The more he kept thinking about this upcoming tour, the more he knew that two months was far too long to be separated from the two of them. He'd never been gone that long when Alexis was small, so he didn't know what in the hell his publisher was thinking. Something told him that Paula wasn't behind this. Something told him that it was his second ex-wife, also known as his publisher, who was behind this. "Castle, are you okay?" Kate noticed how uptight he seemed.

"I've been thinking," he sat in a nearby armchair. "Maybe it's time that I start shopping for a new agent."

"Castle, I'm not jealous of the relationship that you have with either of your exes," Kate reminded him.

"No, it doesn't have anything to do with that. Kate, I'd just finished 'In a Hail of Bullets' when Alexis was born. I had to do the usual book signings, tours, Jay Leno, that kind of stuff. But, I was never away from Alexis for more than a week at a time at the most. I even took her with me for some of it. She met Jay Leno and David Lettermen when she was just a few weeks old. Of course, she doesn't remember it, but I do. I've gone to Europe to promote my books before. I did it the first summer that I was shadowing you. I was gone for six weeks, not nine. I don't understand what Gina and Paula are thinking."

"Castle, I understand your job, just like you understand mine. You can't sell your books if you don't promote them. Yes, we'll miss you, but we'll be fine."

"Kate, I know that you've come to terms with me being gone for so long. But _I _don't want to be away from you and her for that long. Yes, I know that we'll talk every night and you'll email me pictures, but it's not the same. This time is so different than the first time. The first time, Meredith . . . well, we know all about that," he stopped, not wanting Alexis to possibly hear him trashing her mother. "But, this time I'm in it _with _someone."

"Do you think they'll change some of the dates?"

"I haven't signed anything, yet, so they're not going to have a choice. I'll just have them move some of the dates up. It'll mean that I'll spend less time on the ground and more in the air, but I want to be back home by the middle of October, not the first of November. How much more leave did Gates give you?"

"Capt. Gates might be a cop, but she's also a mother. She totally gets it," Kate smiled, remembering the conversation she'd had with her superior officer at the beginning of June.

"_Sir, I know that I'm due back to work the first week of August, but I need to extend it, if I can. Castle is leaving for a two-month book tour the first week of September. He won't be back until November. I haven't made arrangements for additional child care."_

"_I've looked at your records. When you were shot in 2011, you already had a great deal of leave accumulated. Even after using three months worth, you still had a lot left. You do realize that under FMLA, you're entitled to take off up to a year and your job will still be here when you decide to come back."_

"_I don't think that I want a year," Kate smiled. "Although I'm enjoying being with Ariel."_

"_Let me put you down to return the first of December. If you want to come back before, let me know. If you want longer, let me know that, too."_

"_Thank you, sir."_

"December? Really?" Castle smiled.

"Well, I might go back before then, but my options are opened."

"Wow, you're lucky that Gates likes you."

"She's following the law, Castle. It has nothing to do with her liking me or not."

***CCC***

Friday morning, Kate and Castle were sitting in the pediatrician's office with Ariel, waiting to go back to see Dr. Fleming. Kate smiled at Rick, who was holding Ariel in his lap, making silly faces at her as the baby smiled and made little cooing noises. "What did you say?" Castle asked. "You don't want to see the doctor? I don't blame you. But, you're going to be fine. Mommy and daddy won't let that mean old doctor hurt you."

"Really, Castle? What do you expect me to do? Take out my Glock and shoot him?" Kate happened to see a couple of the other mothers staring at her in horror. "I'm sorry, I'm a police officer," she quickly explained as Castle fought hard not to burst into laughter.

"Ariel Castle," the nurse called out as they got up and quickly left the room with the baby.

"Those mothers were looking at you like you were an axe murderer," Castle chuckled as they were shown into an examining room.

"Dr. Fleming will be with you in just a minute," the nurse left the room.

A few minutes later, the door opened and Dr. Fleming entered the room. "Good morning, Mrs. Castle, Mr. Castle. How is Ariel doing this morning?"

"She's great," Kate smiled, watching as Castle reluctantly handed the baby over to the doctor.

The doctor quickly undressed Ariel, who fussed in protest. "I see someone doesn't like being undressed."

"Well, how would you like it if someone was taking your clothes off in a cold room?" Castle asked as Kate bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"Point taken," the doctor smiled. "Ariel's weight is now seven pounds and five ounces. She's gaining weight very well. She's now 22 and three quarters inches long, so she's right where she needs to be. I see that Ariel has had her first two doses of the HepB vaccine, so today I'm going to give her the first of the vaccines that she'll need between now and the time she gets ready to go to school."

"Is there anything that I should be worried about?" Kate asked.

"Ariel might be a little crankier than usual this evening and her legs are going to be sore, but other than that, she should be fine," the doctor smiled. "If she starts running a bit of a fever, that's also normal. You can give her some children's Tylenol or Motrin. Don't give her anything that has aspirin in it."

"Legs? She's getting more than one shot?" Kate was almost hysterical.

"She's going to be getting two in each leg. I thought my nurse explained all of this to you when you made the appointment after Ariel's well baby checkup at six weeks."

"She might have," Kate admitted, wondering if maybe she'd just blocked it out. Two shots? In each leg? Maybe she should've brought her Glock. Why hadn't Castle warned her?

Kate winced when she saw the needle. Both she and her mother had had a morbid fear of needles. "Kate, she'll be okay," Castle assured her as Kate put her hand on the baby's bare stomach. As soon as the needle entered Ariel's thigh, the baby let out a shriek of pain which sent her mother into tears, as well. The doctor quickly administered the other three shots as both Kate and Ariel cried.

The doctor smiled as he shook his head. "We're all done," he told the parents as he picked Ariel up and handed her back to her mother. "I'll let you dress her."

"Shh," Kate tried to soothe the baby although she was soaking her with her own tears. "My poor baby," Kate crooned to her. "Castle, give me her blanket from her diaper bag."

Kate sat on a stool in the corner and unbuttoned her shirt. Ariel rooted for a second before finding what she was looking for. She continued to fuss a little as she nursed. "Kate, she's going to be okay," Castle kept assuring her.

"Okay? Castle, he tortured her! He's a fucking Nazi!" She said through clenched teeth.

"Let's get her dressed," he told her.

"I hate him, Castle. I ought to have Espo and Ryan take him to the box so I can grill the shit out of him!"

"You do realize that when she gets older, you're going to have to watch your language."

"Don't make fun, Castle."

"I'm not making fun of you, Kate," he brushed her hair from her face. "Come on, let's get her dressed. I still have a meeting with my publisher."

"I ought to go out there and beat the crap out of him," she muttered as she removed Ari from her breast and dressed her.

"Kate, the first shots are the worst. She's going to be fine," he told her again.

"How did you feel when it was Alexis getting stabbed with four needles when she was two months old?" She asked him.

"Awful," he admitted. "But, at least I knew what to expect after that."

"Then why do I feel like an abusive mother?"

When they arrived at Black Pawn Publishing, Kate went with Rick up to his agent's office. She sat in the waiting area while he went in to talk to Paula. Kate was still upset over the doctor's visit, so she was busily rocking Ari and humming to her, even though the baby was now over the worst of the trauma and was fighting to keep her eyes opened. She was still singing softly and humming to her when the door opened and Gina, Rick's second ex-wife and publisher, came strolling in.

Every time Kate saw Gina she was reminded of the second year Castle had been shadowing her. Kate had been invited to spend some time at the house in the Hamptons and had been working up her courage to accept when she learned that Castle was taking his ex-wife. It had taken her almost a year to get over the feelings of betrayal, although she knew that realistically she'd had nothing to feel betrayed about. Richard Castle had been nothing more than a friend to her at the time. She had no right to expect anything more from their relationship.

"Kate? Oh my goodness, I haven't seen you in ages. This must be Ariel," she sat beside Kate. "Rick can't stop talking about her. May I?" She held her hands out as Kate stared at her in horror.

"She just had her first shots, so she's not feeling great at the moment," Kate held her tighter to her. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't be. She looks just like Rick. Is he in there with Paula?" She nodded toward the agent's closed door.

"Yeah. He's trying to get his tour changed."

"Really?" Gina got up and walked to the closed door, softly knocking on it.

"I really don't like that woman," Kate whispered to her daughter.

Gina entered the office in the middle of a very heated exchange between Rick and Paula. "Come on, Paula! Do I really need to spend two days in Athens? Do I even need to go to Athens?"

"Rick, if I shorten the tour, you're going to be suffering from terminal jet lag."

"Then, break it up. Send me to London, Dublin, Paris, and Rome in September, and then I can go to Madrid, Lisbon, Athens, and Berlin in January."

"Rick—"

"Paula," he whined back. "In case you haven't been paying attention, my life has changed. I have a newborn daughter that I don't want to be away from for two months! Do it my way or I'll start looking for a new publishing house."

"Rick, I can cram all of the cities into the time frame that you want, but you're going to be exhausted."

"That's my problem. I want to be home no sooner than the 20th of October. Call me when you get my new schedule."

"Rick, the baby's lovely," Gina smiled at him. "Kate's quite the protective little mother, isn't she?" Gina gave Rick a benevolent smile.

"What did you do, Gina? Try to snatch my daughter from her?"

Not even waiting for an answer, Rick left the office and took Kate's hand as they left the office and walked toward the elevator. "How did it go?" She asked after the doors closed behind them.

"Paula saw the error of her ways and is now rectifying said error," he smiled at his wife. "Gina called you a protective little mother."

"She I be flattered or insulted? She asked to hold Ariel and I told her that she'd just had shots, so she wasn't getting her. If that makes me 'protective,' then so be it. I can live with that."

"Personally, I like it when you act like a mama lion. It's sexy," he grinned at her as she rolled her eyes. "So, how is the patient?" He smiled lovingly at Ari, who was sound asleep in her mother's arms.

"Better than her mother is. I'm still a wreck."

"See, this was your first lesson in the resiliency of a child. Believe it or not, Kate, she's not going to be in Dr. Burke's office in three years recounting the horror of her first shots."

She couldn't help but laugh as they went to the car and she placed her in her car seat, buckling her in securely before getting in the front passenger seat. "I am getting better, aren't I?" She asked as he got in the driver's seat and started the car.

"You're getting there. Nobody ever told us that it was going to be easy."

"You got that right," she sighed.

They got back to the Hamptons house a little over two hours later. Martha met them at the front door when they walked in. "How is she?"

"She's fine. Mom needs a shot of tequila," Kate handed the sleeping baby over to her grandmother.

"Oh kiddo, did you cry? Richard cried more than Alexis did when she had her first shots."

"Really?" Kate looked at her husband, who looked toward the floor, managing to look suitably sheepish.

"I think I'm going to see where Alexis has disappeared to," Castle said as he tried to flee.

"Richard Castle, don't you dare go anywhere!"

"I think I'll take Ariel up to her room," Martha discreetly left the room.

"'She's going to be fine, Kate.' Yadda, yadda, yadda."

"I'm sorry," he walked over and enfolded Kate into her arms while she tried to resist him. "I know that was upsetting to you. It's hard when you think someone's hurting your child. I didn't mean to downplay this."

"She's only cried when she's been hungry, tired, or needed her diaper changed. It hurt to see her crying because she was in pain. That cry went right through my heart, Castle. I never want to hear it again."

"I know you don't want to hear it, but you probably will. More than you want to," he kissed the top of her head.

That night Castle had just gotten out of the shower while Kate was in the nursery with the baby. He smiled as he listened to her talking to Ariel through the baby monitor. "I'm so sorry that mean old doctor hurt you. You know that mommy and daddy would never let anyone hurt you for anything in the world. But I guess four shots is a small price to pay to keep you from getting some awful disease that could take you from us. But if anybody does anything to hurt you, rest assured that mommy and daddy will deal with them. Your daddy is so protective of his family. And mommy has a gun. I love you so much, baby girl. You're the second best thing I've ever done in my life."

Castle was in bed when Kate came back into the room. "So, what was the best thing you ever did?" He couldn't help asking as she got into bed.

"Listening to the baby monitor again, Castle?"

"Guilty as charged, detective. So, what was the best thing you ever did? You said that Ariel was the _second _best thing you ever did. What is number one on your bucket list?"

"Falling in love with you," she grinned as he pulled her into his arms.

***CCC***

By the next day, except for some tenderness in both legs, Ariel was her usual grinning, cheerful self. Castle had made reservations for their favorite restaurant in East Hampton for that evening and Kate had resigned herself to leaving Ari with her sister for a few hours.

Castle smiled listening to Kate giving Alexis a long list of last minute instructions. "I just fed her, so she shouldn't need to be fed before we get home, but just in case she does, there's a bottle in the fridge. If she starts running a fever again, give her some Tylenol. I've got the dropper marked with the right amount."

"Kate, I think she's got it. We're going to be late."

"If she starts fussing, just swaddle her—"

"Kate, I know," Alexis told her. "I'll text you if I have any problems. Go and have fun."

The restaurant was wonderful. Castle had brought Kate to it several times over the past two years and it was a favorite of both of them. He ordered a Scotch for himself and a glass of sparkling water for Kate as the waiter put menus in front of them. "Order for me, Castle," she smiled at him.

"I see that the black dress still fits perfectly," he gave her a leering grin after he'd given the waiter their dinner order.

"Oh, it's still a little tight in places," she grinned back. "My boobs are still huge."

"Oh, you're not about to get any complaints from me in _that _department, Det. Beckett. You look fantastic," he leaned toward her and kissed her.

"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself."

Castle couldn't help grinning at her as the waiter brought their appetizer over. It was nice to flirt as they had before having a baby.

***CCC***

"Oh my god!" Alexis cried out as she tried to calm a loudly screaming Ariel. "Why won't she stop crying?"

"You didn't touch her legs, did you?" Martha asked. "Kate said that her legs are still sore from the shots."

"No, and she's not running a fever, either."

"Maybe you should call Kate," Martha suggested.

"And tell her what? That I'm an incompetent boob who can't take care of her baby for a few hours? She'll never leave her with me again," Alexis walked around her bedroom, bouncing Ariel, who continued to shriek. She picked up various objects, holding them in front of Ariel in an attempt to quiet her.

"Kate did say that she likes The Beatles," Martha remembered.

"Daddy's CD's," Alexis smiled, grabbing a stuffed monkey from her bed and running from the room.

Alexis pulled a Beatles CD from Castle's collection and put it in the CD player. She then sat down and continued to bounce the baby as she showed her the stuffed monkey in her hand. Suddenly the baby began smiling and making small noises. "See, she likes The Beatles," Martha told her daughter.

"I don't think it's the music, gram," Alexis smiled at her grandmother. "She likes Monkey Bunky."

"I thought your father burned that old thing a long time ago," her grandmother made a face.

"Do you remember when I used to take Monkey Bunky everywhere?"

"Yes, I remember. I think that we need to get Ariel her own Monkey Bunky, so that she has something that she can carry around," Martha suggested.

"What do you think, Ariel? Do you need your own Monkey Bunky?" Alexis made a funny face at her baby sister as Ariel gave her a huge grin. "We already call you chunky monkey, so you should have a Monkey Bunky, too."

"I don't understand why Katherine gave her that silly nickname," Martha scoffed.

"Probably because it rhymes. It's like daddy calling me pumpkin because of my red hair."

"Kiddo, that's not why your father calls you 'pumpkin.' Once when you were about a year old, he was feeding you strained carrots. He left to answer a phone call and when he came back; your entire face was orange from where you'd tried to feed yourself. He said that you looked like a pumpkin, so the name stuck."

"That's so sweet. I wonder why he never told me that story."

"Kiddo, there are a lot of stories that your father has never shared with you," Martha kissed the top of her granddaughter's head. "You'd better text Kate with an update of how our evening is going."

"I'd better leave out the hysterically screaming part, huh?" Alexis said as she texted her stepmother.

***CCC***

Kate and Castle were enjoying dinner when Kate got a text alert on her phone. She took her phone from her purse and smiled. "Look, Castle," she showed the phone to her husband. "Ariel's a fan of Monkey Bunky."

Castle smiled at the photo that Alexis had sent of Ariel and the bedraggled stuffed monkey. "See, everything's going great."

"I still feel guilty for leaving her, but at least I know that Alexis hasn't sold her sister to a band of wandering gypsies," she told him.

"In the Hamptons? A band of security traders or bankers, maybe. Gypsies, no way."

It was close to 10:30 when they got home that night. Alexis was curled up on the end of the sofa reading, her ear buds in her ear and the baby monitor close at hand. "Hi," she looked up when she heard the door. "Did you have a nice time?"

"We had a wonderful time. Did you have any trouble?" Kate asked.

"She was a little fussy earlier, but we found a Beatles CD and I played with her and Monkey Bunky. She was fine after that. She's been asleep for a couple of hours."

"Thank you, Alexis," Kate hugged and kissed her before her father followed suit. "Good night."

When they got upstairs, Kate grabbed Castle's hand and yanked him into the bathroom where she kissed him hungrily. "Undress me, Castle, and let's take a shower."

"Is this my thanks for my great idea?" He asked, returning her kisses hungrily.

"This is thanks for _all _of your great ideas," she unbuttoned his pants.

**A/N #2: This just seemed like a good ending place. There will be an M-rated version of this chapter coming soon. **

**A/N #3: As I've said, I don't have children. I had to look up the information regarding vaccines. I hope that I got it right. **


	5. Chapter 5--Daddy Tales--Part 1

**Disclaimers: In a perfect world.**

**Summary: Castle spends quality baby time with his new daughter.**

**A/N #1: The next couple of chapters are going to be fairly short. Short, by my standards, anyway.**

**A/N #2: In Chapter 20 of 'Mind Games,' Kate overhears Castle on the baby monitor talking to Ariel. This chapter will include more of those kinds of conversations. **

**A/N #3: My timeline will jump around from time to time. I apologize for that.**

Chapter 5: Daddy Tales –Part 1

_May_

"So, grandma and I are sure that we're going to die," Castle was holding his five-day-old daughter in the rocker in the nursery. "The very bad guys had locked all of us up in the bank vault. Suddenly, there was a huge explosion and we couldn't see anything. There was dust and smoke everywhere-"

Downstairs in their bedroom, Kate lay awake smiling as she listened to Castle talking to Ariel over the baby monitor. This had been an every night occurrence since the birth of their daughter. He'd go upstairs at night and just talk to her. The stories varied, but the basic theme was always the same. They were always stories about her. Kate did the same thing, but Castle was a talker. He was never happier than he was when his mouth was moving. She loved listening to him weaving these tales for Ariel. She wondered if he'd done the same thing for Alexis.

Downstairs, Castle was continuing his story. "—So, there was dust and smoke everywhere. We couldn't breathe. And we were so scared. Suddenly, I heard a voice calling, 'Castle! Castle!' I'd never heard a sweeter sound in my life. There was mommy and the whole New York City Police Department. She had the biggest smile on her face when she rescued me. Your mommy has the most beautiful smile, Ariel. But I'm guessing that you already know that. I hope that you've inherited that smile."

Kate was almost asleep when she felt Castle get into bed. "Did you tell Alexis stories like that when she was a baby?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I guess I didn't see anything special enough about Meredith to share with Alexis."

Kate rolled over toward Castle and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cheek into his back. She loved him so much and he'd been so badly hurt by both of his ex-wives. Also by her before she'd come to her senses. "I think it's sweet that you sit with Ari and talk to her. I love you, Rick." She placed a gently kiss on his shoulder blade.

_June_

"I'm taking Ariel for a walk!" Castle called out as he left the loft with the baby in her stroller.

"Where is Richard off to?" Martha asked Kate.

"You heard him. He's taking the baby for a walk," Kate smiled.

Castle walked down the street and across to the park, heading over to the swing set. Sitting on his swing, he made sure that Ariel was covered and she was shaded from the sun. "This is the park, Ariel. New York City has a lot of parks, the most famous of which is Central Park. I'll take you to Central Park another time. I'll show you Strawberry Fields, and take you on a carriage ride. This park is special to me and mommy. This is my swing and this one," he pointed to the swing beside him, "is mommy's. This is where I first asked mommy to marry me, although she turned me down the first time I asked her," he smiled ruefully. "This is where we decided that we wanted to have a baby. This is where mommy and I come when we need to work things out. When you're older, we'll come up here and feed the ducks. Alexis loved to come up here and feed the ducks when she was little."

He then left the park and walked back across the street, strolling into the coffee shop they frequented. "Mommy's a little bummed because she can't have coffee right now. I have brought your mommy a coffee every morning for the past six years. A Grande Skim Latte with two pumps of sugar free vanilla," he smiled. "Well, these days it's tea. When you're a little older, I'll start making you hot cocoa. But right now you're way too young to start a caffeine habit."

"Oh my gosh, Mr. Castle!" The barista behind the counter gushed as she came around and bent down to look inside of the stroller. "She's adorable!"

"Thank you," Castle smiled proudly as a small crowd began to form around the baby. "Uh, can everybody please back up?"

Kate and Martha were drinking tea when Castle walked into the loft about 20 minutes later. "So, how did Ariel like the neighborhood?" Kate teased her husband as he carefully removed Ariel from her stroller. "Did she tell you her coffee preferences yet?" She asked, noticing the cardboard cup in his hand.

"No, but I have a question. What is it about a newborn baby that turns people into lions on a feeding frenzy?" He sat down with the baby, before taking a sip of his coffee.

"They're little and cute," his mother told him. "It's the same thing with puppies and kittens."

"And baby seals," Kate added.

"Okay, okay. Stop. First off, our daughter is _not _a baby animal. I don't like people herding around her like she's part of the Rodney King riots. Maybe I should hang a sign from her stroller."

"Castle, I don't like it when people gather around her either, but from what I understand it's what people do. Just keep her away from places where there are a lot of people like _coffee shops_," Kate got up and took Ariel from his arms.

Castle sighed, watching Kate go upstairs to the nursery. "She's a mother lion and thus, she's very protective of her cub," Martha told him.

Kate was sitting in the rocker, rocking and humming to Ari at her breast. She kept stroking her fingers through the downy hair on top of the baby's head, loving the way that it curled around her fingers. She then touched her fingers, smiling at the silky softness of her skin. "Ari, your daddy loves you very much. But, I think he learned that you're way too young for coffee. And, unless you're going to grow up to be a best-selling author or a celebrity," she stopped when she saw Castle standing in the doorway, "you're also too young for crowds."

"Kate, I'm sorry. I took her to the park first," he smiled, walking into the room and sitting down at her feet by the rocker. "I think she liked our swings," he looked up at her as she smiled. "We'll leave for the Hamptons house in the morning. You don't mind if I give her the tour, do you?"

"You can give her the tour, Castle. I can't wait to finally see her room."

Ariel's room in the loft was decorated with Disney characters, but the nursery at the Hamptons house had been decorated with fairies. So far, Kate had only seen pictures of it. She couldn't wait to put Ariel to sleep in it for the first time.

_July_

Castle held two-month-old Ariel up so that she could see his face. She seemed to have recovered nicely from her first shots, although Kate was still somewhat shaken by the experience. Ariel grinned and reached a chubby hand out to her father's face. As with Alexis when she was a baby, Castle found it fascinating to watch Ariel's personality develop. So far, she was an extremely happy baby. He put her in her stroller and walked out onto the wide green lawn, sitting in one of the chairs that faced the ocean. "Right over there," he lifted the baby from her stroller and sat her on his lap, supporting her head and neck, "is where mommy and daddy got married. For the record, I'm not even letting you date until you're 30."

Ariel smiled widely as Castle laughed. "I'm glad that you find that so amusing. Maybe I should buy a couple of shotguns. No, never mind. Mommy can shoot your boyfriends when they get out of line."

"There won't be any boyfriends to shoot, because I'm having her fitted with a chastity belt," Kate sat in the chair beside him.

"Ooh, I like it."

"I thought that you might. Now, if you're done entertaining our daughter, I need to take her inside, feed her, bathe her, and put her to bed. She shouldn't be out in the sun for too long," she reached out as he reluctantly handed Ariel over to her as Kate grinned at her. "Hey, chunky monkey. Let's go eat dinner."

Later that night, Kate groaned when she heard the sound of the baby crying through the monitor beside her bed. "I've got her," she heard Castle whisper against her neck.

"I don't know why she's awake. She's not due to be fed for another two hours," she looked at her phone.

She was drifting off to sleep when she heard Castle's voice over the monitor. "What's going on, young lady? Do you have a tummy ache? Let's see if daddy can make it all better."

He sat in the rocker and put the baby on his shoulder as he slowly rocked, rubbing the baby's back as he rocked. "What story can I tell you tonight? I know what I can tell you. This weekend, your uncles Javi and Kevin are going to come over. They're going to play poker with daddy, but you don't need to know about that right now. Your uncles are the best, Ariel. They work with mommy, so you'll always be safe if anybody tries to mess with you. And one time they saved mommy and daddy from a tiger. A tiger is a very, very big cat. Uncle Javi thought that it had eaten mommy and daddy, but we were just hanging on very high."

In their room across the hall, Kate smiled as she listened to Castle recounting the tale of the tiger. At least he was leaving out the part where they were handcuffed together. There was no sense in traumatizing her any more than he needed to.

Castle glanced down to where his daughter had fallen asleep on his shoulder, her baby breath warm against his cheek. He kissed her on the cheek before getting up and putting her back in her crib. After covering her, he returned to their bedroom across the hall. "I think that she had a tummy ache," he said as he got into bed beside Kate.

"Either that, or she really likes daddy telling her stories," Kate rolled over toward him. "Does daddy have any stories for mommy? Something with a more _adult _theme," she arched her eyebrow.

"Yeah, but this story has no words," he slipped further under the covers as Kate began to laugh. "Beckett, quiet! You're going to wake up the kid!"

"Then stop tickling me, Castle," she tried to pull away from him until she felt his mouth reach its intended destination. After that, her giggling turned to quiet moans. Castle was right. He didn't need any words for this story.

**A/N #4: There'll be an M-rated version of this chapter soon, too. Please read and review.**

**A/N #5: It took me forever to finally get Beckett's coffee order right.**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960. **


	6. Chapter 6--Fun with Grandpa

**Disclaimers: If I owned 'Castle,' my real life wouldn't suck as badly as it does.**

**Summary: Kate spends a day with her dad and Ariel.**

**A/N #1: I love it when a baby laughs for the first time. It's the cutest sound in the world. Kate and her dad get to experience that in this chapter. Don't worry; I'm not saving all of the milestones just for Kate.**

**A/N #2: This is another short, by my standards, chapter.**

Chapter 6: Fun with Grandpa

_August_

"Katie, she is getting so big," Jim Beckett commented as he adjusted baby Ariel in his arms.

Kate smiled, watching her father with his granddaughter. It was a hot day, but Kate had driven into the city to visit her father. He hadn't seen either of them in over a week, although she talked to him every day as well as sending him pictures of Ariel on her phone. But seeing him in person was so much better. "Was I as happy as she is?" She asked, watching Ari coo and grin at her grandfather.

"You smiled more for your mother than you did for me, but yeah, you were a happy baby."

"Mom would've been crazy about her."

"Yes, she would've been. You know that she watches over her all of the time."

"I know," Kate gave him a sad smile. "I think she'd tell me that I'm spoiling her. Between me, Castle, Martha, and Alexis, she's never put down. Somebody's always holding her."

"She needs to learn how to amuse herself, Katie," her father reminded her.

"I know. Dad, do you remember when you told me about mom having the miscarriage?" Her father nodded. "Did you ever talk about having another baby after it happened?"

"We talked about it, and we even tried, but it just never happened. Why? Do you think about having another baby?"

"Well, not right now. But I don't want to wait too long. Did I tell you that Kevin Ryan and his wife are having another baby?" Jim Beckett smiled. "He told me right after I had Ari. It's funny because they had so much trouble getting pregnant the first time and number two was a breeze."

"I think it's like that sometimes," he smiled at Ariel, who'd started to fuss. "I think somebody wants her mommy."

"Yeah, she needs to be changed and fed," Kate got up and pulled the changing pad from the diaper bag.

"Speaking of being fed, how about lunch?"

"Great, because I'm starving."

"How does Ariel like the rocking chair?" Jim asked as he went into the kitchen and got things out for lunch.

"Oh, she loves it. So do I."

"I bought that chair for your mom when she was pregnant with you," he told her as she looked surprised. "You didn't know that?"

"No, I knew that it was always mom's favorite chair, but she never told me why. Thank you, dad."

Jim smiled as he fixed lunch. He looked across the counter to his daughter nursing his granddaughter, taking time to listen. It took him back more than 30 years, watching Johanna sitting with Katie, giving her a bottle or later reading to her.

Kate looked at him and smiled. "What're you thinking about? You looked like you were a million miles away."

"You hum to her," he pointed out. "Your mother used to do that."

"Really? I hum to Ari and sing to her because it seems to relax her. Its better that I sing to her than Castle. He can't carry a tune," she said as her father laughed.

"Tell him I understand because neither can I. Your mom had a beautiful singing voice. I'm glad that you inherited her voice and not mine. Anyway, lunch is ready."

Kate finished burping the baby and placed her in the travel crib that her father kept at his house for her. She then came over to the dining room table where her father had placed chicken salad and French bread along with a salad. "I thought about making tuna salad, but then I read on the Internet that you can't eat fish while you're nursing."

"Dad, I can eat most of those foods that the Internet says to avoid in moderation. However, I've learned to avoid Mexican and Thai food."

"Too spicy?" He guessed as Kate nodded.

"I saw that Alexis posted on Facebook that she babysat while you had a date night. How did that go?"

"Well, she had to put a Beatles CD on, so I suspect that she had a few glitches. But, she did well enough that Castle and I decided we're going to have date night once a month."

"So, are you ready for Rick to leave on his book tour?"

"No," she shook her head. "I have nightmares where the minute he gets on that plane, everything's going to go horribly wrong."

"Katie, you can do this. I had to go to a lawyer's convention in Chicago when you were four months old. I think it was harder on me to leave than it was on your mother to be on her own."

"Rick got his dates changed because the idea of being away from us for two months was making him physically sick. So he's going to be back on the 22nd of October instead of the 10th of November. He threatened to get a new agent and a new publishing house if they didn't change his dates."

"Isn't his ex-wife also his agent?"

"Oh, don't even get me started on Gina," Kate rolled his eyes. "I like Meredith even though she's a vacuous airhead. But Gina? She's so phony."

"I have to say that I'm glad that Rick's taste in women has improved," Jim smiled.

"So am I," Kate smiled back.

After Ariel woke up from her afternoon nap, Jim got down on the floor with a toy that Kate had brought with her. She rolled her eyes as her father bent down and began to blow raspberries on Ariel's stomach. But then she heard a sound coming from her daughter that she'd never heard before. "Dad, is she . . . giggling?" Kate got on the floor with her father and daughter as the baby laughter continued.

"She hasn't laughed before?" He asked in surprise, his eyes lighting up.

"No, this is the first time. Get her to do it again," she pulled her phone out. "I've got to send a video of this to Castle."

Jim moved from Ariel's belly to her neck as the baby laughed and kicked her legs. Kate found herself laughing as she watched her. It was the cutest thing she'd ever seen.

Kate's phone rang seconds after she sent the video. "Are you kidding? Ariel laughed for the first time and I missed it?" Castle's voice came over the line.

"Isn't it great? Dad got her to laugh. She's so funny, Castle. I didn't know such a tiny baby could make such big sounds."

"I'll make her laugh later," he told her. "Be careful coming home."

"We will. Bye."

"He's jealous," Jim guessed as he hauled himself off of the floor.

"A little. It's okay. He'll get over it."

Castle ran out of the house when Kate arrived home later that afternoon. "Ooh, I missed my baby," he gushed. "Can I make her laugh?"

"Castle, she's asleep. I'm not going to wake her up so that you can make her laugh," Kate walked past him into the house and up the stairs to the nursery.

"But I want to hear her laugh," he was pouting as he followed Kate upstairs.

"Castle, I have one child. I'm not ready for a second one, yet. You can make her laugh when she wakes up from her nap."

"But, you're open to the idea of having a second child?" He looked hopeful as she rolled her eyes.

"Castle, we have a three-month-old. Can we please put this particular conversation on hold for about a year?" She turned and went back downstairs.

After dinner, Castle had Ariel in his lap, shaking a stuffed toy as the baby cooed and smiled, but didn't laugh. "Okay, what did your dad do?" He looked at Kate, who was reading in a corner of the sofa. "How'd he make her laugh?"

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," she deadpanned.

"Come on, Kate! Please?" He wheedled.

"He blew raspberries on her," Kate told her husband. "You've been through this before, Castle. It didn't take rocket science to figure it out."

Castle gave Kate a look before blowing air against his daughter's belly as she began to chortle. Kate looked at the two of them and started laughing. "I can't help it," tears were rolling down her face. "That's the cutest sound I've ever heard in my life."

"Well, until she says her first words," Castle smiled as he blew on Ariel's belly again, laughing as the baby continued to giggle and kick against him.

Kate cuddled up close to Castle as they both continued to make their daughter laugh. She couldn't believe the amount of love she had in her heart for this small creature that she now shared with her wonderful husband.

**A/N #3: Somebody had something posted on Twitter last night called '10 Things You Should Know About Castle.' One of the things is that we all hate Demming, Gina, and Josh. I don't know what it is about Gina that I don't like, but give me Meredith any day.**


	7. Chapter 7--Longing

**Disclaimers: Do I what? Hold on until I stop laughing.**

**Summary: Castle prepares for his book tour and Martha takes the time to entertain her younger granddaughter.**

**A/N #1: I love Martha Rodgers, but I don't utilize her as much in my stories as I'd like to. That's okay. She's going to get her shot in this chapter.**

**A/N #2: I received a review for Chapter 4 that said Ariel's weight isn't what it should be for her two-month vaccination/checkup. I went on the Internet and it had the weight gain in terms of ounces by week, so my math might be a little off. As I've said, I have no children of my own. So, I apologize for inaccuracies.**

**A/N #3: 'The Sound of Music' is one of my favorite musicals. **

**A/N #4: There will be an M-rated version of this chapter.**

Chapter 7: Longing

_Late August_

"I don't want to leave," Rick pouted as his lips ghosted over Kate.

"Castle, we'll be fine," Kate told him for what had to have been the hundredth time. "I don't want you to go either. I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you, too," his eyes misted over. "You'll send me pictures of Ariel every day?"

"I'll send you pictures and video. Plus, we'll talk to you on Skype every day."

"Okay, but you're coming with me on the next tour. You and the baby."

"So, tell me a story, Castle," she settled back into his arms. "Tell me my favorite story."

Castle smiled as he wrapped his arms around Kate as she settled herself against him. "I was so angry with you. I really thought that I was never going to see you again. I wasn't about to stand by and watch you die. I ignored the phone call from the precinct, which was probably a mistake. I ignored your phone call to me . . . what were you going to tell me, anyway?"

"You know what? I don't even remember. I think I was calling to tell you that I was on my way to the loft to see you, but I can't remember. Go on with the story."

"Right after you tried to call me, I was getting ready to play Guitar Hero—"

"Really, Castle?"

"Hey, who's telling this story? You or me?"

"Sorry. By all means, please continue."

"So, I was getting ready to play Guitar Hero when someone knocked on my door. When I went to open it, you were standing there, looking like a drowned rat. So, I swept you into my arms and carried—"

"Uh, Romeo," she craned her head around to look at him, "I want to hear the _true _version, not the version the way you wished it had happened."

"I was still pissed—"

"That's better."

"But, when I asked you what you wanted and you just said that one word, something in my heart just melted."

"I sat on that swing in the pouring rain, and it was like everything made sense. I was so stupid for so long." She turned so that she could straddle his legs as he wrapped his arms around her. "We've had some crazy sex since then in some crazy places, but I'll never forget that first time," she smiled shyly as she bit her lip.

"Why? Did you like being slammed against my front door?" He grinned.

"No, I remember being busted by your mother the next morning," she reminded him as he groaned. "I can't believe you tried to hide me in your closet! But I also liked the being slammed against your front door part. That was very caveman of you, Castle."

"We can do a reenactment when I get home," he kissed her.

"I look forward to it," she melted into his kiss as his hands wandered under her nightshirt.

_September 8_

"I'm going to miss the two of you so much," Castle's eyes were sad as he held onto Kate and the baby as they stood outside of the security checkpoint at JFK. "Ariel, come here and give daddy a kiss." He took the baby, smothering her baby faces with kisses as the baby cooed and laughed in delight. "If you need anything, call or text me. If you can't reach me, call Gina or Paula. I'll see you in six weeks," he reluctantly handed Ariel back to Kate before fiercely embracing the two of them again.

"You'd better go or you're going to miss your flight," she pulled away and kissed him, feeling the glare of the people behind them. "You'd better go. We're beginning to piss people off."

"I love you and I'll see you soon," he began walking away, smiling as Kate held up Ari's hand and waved it at her daddy.

"Say 'I love you,' daddy,'" Kate smiled at the baby, as tears leaked from her eyes. "Be careful, Rick," she called out. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he called back.

Jerry and the town car were waiting for her at the curb as she got in and buckled the baby into her car seat. Ari cooed and giggled, playing with her hands and feet as the car headed back for the loft. She was blissfully unaware of her mother's misery. Kate pulled out her cell phone and dialed Lanie's number. "Hey, girl," Lanie's familiar voice came over the line.

"Hi. I was wondering if you wanted to get together tonight and have dinner at Casa Castle. Rick's left on a six-week book tour and I need cheering up."

"I'd love to. What time?"

"Seven?" Kate suggested.

"I'll be there."

"Hey, chunky monkey," Kate turned toward her daughter. "Auntie Lanie is coming over tonight. Do you think that you can be a good girl so that mommy can have some girl time?" Kate laughed as Ari cooed out a response.

***CCC***

"Kate, I can't believe how big this girl has gotten!" Lanie exclaimed, attempting to bounce Ari on her knee. Only Ari kept glancing at her mother and fussing. 

"I'm sorry, Lanie. She's so used to just being around family," Kate apologized as she took the baby from her friend. "I have to take her to the doctor next week and I swear if it's a repeat of her two-month checkup, I'm going to kill the son of a bitch."

"Do you want me to go with you to cover up evidence of the crime?" Lanie gave her friend a knowing look.

"No, Martha's already volunteered. But, thanks. So, what's new with you and Esposito?"

"Do you remember that holding pattern that you and Castle were in for so long?" Lanie asked as Kate nodded, bouncing Ari on her knee. "That's now me and Javi. I want to get married, Kate. I want to have babies. I don't know what in the hell he's waiting on."

"Maybe you two need the small locked room."

"With or without the tiger?"

"Preferably without, but if it takes a tiger—" Kate smiled at her friend. "I'm going to get her ready for bed. Come with me upstairs."

Lanie followed Kate as she went upstairs to the nursery, where she changed Ari into her pajamas before settling into the rocker with her to nurse her before bed. "So, when are you going to come back to work?"

"Well, Capt. Gates said under FMLA guidelines, I don't _have _to come back until May. She's got me on leave until December. I love being home with her, Lanie. I thought that it would be boring, but she changes every day. But, I'll probably come back around the first of December."

"I see you doing that," Lanie nodded at her friend nursing the baby, "and I still can't believe it."

"Me, neither," Kate smiled down at the baby. "I never thought that I could feel this kind of love. I mean, I love Castle very much, but this feels so . . . different. I look at her and I think that Castle and I created something that's half of each of us. Although usually she's much more Castle than Beckett."

"She looks just like him," Lanie pointed out.

"After I put her down, I'll show you the baby pictures of Rick that Martha showed me. She looks so much like him that it's scary."

"Speaking of babies, Ryan's convinced that they're having a boy this time. He said Jenny has had the most monstrous morning sickness. He said she wasn't that sick with Colleen."

"That would be great. To have one of each," Kate smiled.

"You're thinking about having another one, aren't you?"

"I told Castle that I want to wait until after she's a year old. I don't want to be one of those women chasing after four toddlers."

"Well, you'll already have two if you count Writer-Man," Lanie said as Kate laughed.

***CCC***

"How're my girls?" Castle asked on Skype the next afternoon from London.

"We're fine."

"She got bigger overnight," he complained.

"Yeah, Castle. She'll be heading off to college before you get back. How's London?"

"Rainy, humid. It's London. I hate it here already. I wish that I was there with you and my girls."

"Talk to daddy, Ari," Kate urged the baby, who seemed fascinated but confused by the image on the computer screen.

"She's probably trying to figure out how in the hell I got zapped into a computer screen," he laughed. "Do you need anything?"

"Just you."

"You're so sappy, Mrs. Castle. You must be married to a writer."

"So they tell me," she teased.

"Hi, Ariel," Castle said to his daughter, who smiled when she heard her name called. "Daddy misses you."

"She misses daddy, too. She misses his stories."

"I should've recorded some for her. I'll see what I can do about that," he told her. "I love you, Kate. I really miss you."

"I really miss you, too. I love you."

***CCC***

"'High on hill sits a lonely goatherd,'" Kate walked into the loft to hear Martha singing. She'd left Ariel with her grandmother so that she could get some grocery shopping done on this rainy day.

When Kate walked in, she bit her lip at the sight of Martha dancing around the living room with Ariel, who was delighting in the experience if the enchanted look on her small face was any indication. The soundtrack of 'The Sound of Music' was playing in the background.

Martha continued dancing around the room with the baby until she spotted Kate. "Hi, kiddo. I didn't hear you come in."

"I know," Kate's lip hurt from biting down on it to keep from laughing. "Are you having a good time?"

"Well, she was having her tummy time, but then she started getting fussy. I tried 'South Pacific,' and 'Oklahoma!' but she liked 'The Sound of Music' the best."

"Let me put the groceries away and then I'll take her off of your hands."

"So, where is Richard right now?"

"Dublin. He was saying there's some pub that he wanted to check out while he's there. He's looking for inspiration for his next _Nikki Heat _book. I don't know what he hopes to find in an Irish pub."

"I think he just wants an excuse to drink a Guinness or two."

"Could be," Kate agreed. "Don't forget Ari's appointment tomorrow."

"I haven't. Richard would kill me if I didn't offer you moral support in his absence."

"Did you take Rick with you when you had to travel?"

"I did when he was small. Then, I went the nanny route and finally I sent him away to school. He got thrown out of so many private schools that I'm surprised that he learned anything."

"I know. He told me," Kate remembered an early case they'd worked involving private school kids.

"I remember that Meredith thought about hiring a nanny for Alexis, but Richard wouldn't hear of it."

"How old was Alexis when Meredith left them? Rick doesn't talk about it much. I just get bits and pieces, but I can always see how much her leaving hurt him."

"It wasn't so much her leaving that hurt him, but her screwing around on him. Alexis was a little over a year old when he caught her with the producer and she filed for divorce shortly after that."

"Meredith filed for divorce?"

"Yes. It had been Richard's idea to marry when she got pregnant. I think Meredith always felt stifled by being married. His catching her with another man just gave her a convenient excuse."

"I don't see how any woman in her right mind would want to treat him like his first two wives did," Kate smiled as she watched her mother-in-law with her daughter. "You raised such a good man, Martha. I was stupid to take so long to see it."

"Well, you're a smart woman now. You might want to take her. I think she has a surprise diaper and gram _doesn't _do surprise diapers."

"Come on, chunky monkey," Kate took the baby from her grandmother and got a whiff of her. "Oh yeah, you definitely don't smell like roses."

Kate took the baby upstairs and quickly cleaned her up before bringing her back downstairs and placing her down on her busy blanket in the middle of the floor. "May I ask you a question? Why do you call her 'chunky monkey?'"

"When I was nine months pregnant, I was craving Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream. Apparently, so was Ari. She was kicking me like crazy the whole time that I was eating it. So, that's why I call her chunky monkey."

***CCC***

The next morning, Kate was watching Dr. Fleming carefully as he checked Ari out from head to toe. "How often is she nursing?" He asked as he made a notation on her chart.

"About every four and a half to six hours. It varies. Why?"

"Her weight gain is a little off. It's nothing to worry about, but I want you to introduce rice cereal into her diet."

"How can her weight gain be off? She eats like her father."

"Mrs. Castle, it's not substantial enough to be concerned about. Just start her on rice cereal along with your breast milk in the mornings."

"Kate, she's fine," Martha assured her when she saw how upset the young mother was becoming.

This time Kate didn't cry when the doctor administered the shots, although Ari screamed again. But Kate quickly put her to her breast to soothe her and the crying soon stopped. "How can that man do a job that requires him to stick children with sharp objects?" Kate asked when the doctor left the room.

"Well, you have a job that sometimes requires you to shoot people," Martha pointed out.

"But, the people I go after sometimes deserve to be shot."

"Come on, this occasion calls for ice cream sundaes," Martha told her daughter-in-law, who gave her a small smile.

"Because ice cream makes everything better."

"Yes, it does. Especially in the Castle universe."

When Castle got on Skype later that afternoon, he was surprised to just find Kate. "Where's Ariel?"

"She had shots today, so she's very sleepy. She sends her love," she seemed sad.

"Kate, are you okay? What happened at the doctor?"

"Castle, he said that Ari's weight gain isn't what it should be. What if something's wrong?"

"Did he seem worried?"

"No. He said it wasn't alarming enough to be concerned. He told me to start her on rice cereal. Martha and I are going to go shopping tomorrow. Castle, I've never fed a baby with a spoon in my life."

"Kate, they eat just like adults do, just on a messier scale. Alexis was about that age when I started her on cereal. It's nothing to be alarmed about. You know, Ariel is long. Maybe the weight gain doesn't seem as huge because she's so long."

"Maybe. Castle, I miss you. Alexis will be here this weekend, but it's not the same."

"Kate, you're doing fine. She's going to like the cereal. Just make sure it's not too warm."

"He told me to mix it with my breast milk. How was your Irish pub?" She changed the subject.

"Great," he grinned. "Just the sort of place Jameson Rook would frequent. I'm off to Paris tomorrow. I'll send you some fancy French underwear."

"Okay, Castle," she rolled her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he grinned. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

As she signed off, she couldn't help but worry about Ari. Maybe Castle was right. Ari was a long baby. After all, when you have tall parents, you're not exactly going to be short. She worried too much. She always had. She just wished that it was October already so that Castle would be home and he could tell her that everything was okay.

**A/N #5: I don't know why Castle hasn't discussed either of his divorces with Kate. I'm hoping Season 6 will explore this issue. But I will explore it myself in upcoming chapters. **

**A/N #6: The next chapter will deal with every parent's worst nightmare. A trip to the ER.**


	8. Chapter 8--A Nightmare

**Disclaimers: If I did, I wouldn't be where I am now. That's for damn sure.**

**Summary: Kate experiences a parents' worst nightmare when she has to take Ari to the emergency room in the middle of the night.**

**A/N #1: Okay, maybe what I've done with Castle in this chapter is unrealistic, but I'm the pilot of this adventure, okay?**

**A/N #2: There'll definitely be an M-rated version of this chapter.**

Chapter 8: A Nightmare

_October_

The sound of Ari's crying coming through the baby monitor entered through Kate's brain at the same time as Alexis' frantic cries for her. "Kate! Wake up! Something's wrong with Ariel!"

Kate jumped out of bed and ran out of the bedroom to find Alexis cradling the baby in her arms. "What's wrong?"

"She's burning up! I heard her crying and when I went into the nursery, she was crying and pulling on her ears."

Kate took Ari from Alexis, the heat of fever burning through her nightshirt. "Alexis, call downstairs and tell the doorman to get us a cab! We need to get her to the ER!" Kate pulled out her phone and dialed the pediatrician's answering service. She waited impatiently for someone to answer as she went and got the digital thermometer from hers' and Castle's bathroom. "This is Katherine Castle. My four and a half month old daughter just woke up with a high fever."

"Have you taken her temperature?" The voice over the phone asked.

"I'm doing it now. It's 102.3," Kate said as she stared at the read-out.

"What is your daughter's name and who is her primary pediatrician?"

"Ariel Castle. Her pediatrician is Dr. Paul Fleming."

"Have you given her anything for the fever?"

"No, she just woke up like this. I'm going to take her to Lennox Hill!"

"Okay, Mrs. Castle. I need for you to calm down. Take her to the ER and I'll have Dr. Fleming meet you there."

Kate hung up and scooped Ari up in her arms as the baby continued to scream. "Sweetie, it's okay," Kate crooned as tears ran down her face. She looked to the doorway at Alexis. "Alexis, can you take her? I need to get dressed so that we can go."

"The doorman's going to hold a cab for us, but wouldn't it be faster to take the Ferrari or the Mercedes?'' 

"Alexis, I can't drive."

"But, I can," Alexis insisted.

"Okay, cancel the cab. Let's just go. I'll call your dad from the ER."

Castle was sitting in his hotel room in Barcelona, watching TV, but not understanding any of it because it was all in Spanish. He jumped when his phone rang. He became concerned when he saw Kate's picture come up on the caller id. It was two in the morning in New York. Kate wouldn't be calling him at this hour unless something was wrong. His heart began to pound when he answered the phone. "Kate, what's wrong?"

"Castle, the baby woke up screaming. She's pulling on her ears and running a 102 fever. Alexis and I are on our way to the ER with her. Castle, I'm scared," she was crying into the phone.

He took a deep breath. God, he was beginning to hate this tour. He could hear Ariel crying in the background. 'Think, Castle,' he thought to himself. 'She needs to hear something reassuring.' "Kate, babies run high fevers all of the time. If she's tugging on her ears, its more than likely an ear infection. Alexis used to get them from time to time."

"But, she's crying so much, Castle. I can't get her to calm down."

"Kate, she's probably in pain. Please tell me you're not talking to me while you're driving."

"No, Alexis is driving. I'm in the back seat with Ari. Castle, I'm scared!"

"Kate, please believe me when I tell you that she's fine. Call me as soon as you see the doctor."

When he got off of the phone from talking to Kate, he called Gina. "Gina, you need to get me home for at least 48 hours. Ariel's sick and Kate needs me."

"Rick, I can't cancel the last leg of your tour," Gina's whining voice drove Rick crazy.

"I'm not saying to cancel it! I'm saying to postpone it. My daughter is on her way to the ER right now and Kate is hysterical."

"Let me see what I can do and I'll call you back. Rick?"

"What?"

"I hope it isn't anything serious."

"Me, too." 

***CCC***

When they arrived at the ER, Kate explained to the nurse at the desk what was going on. After handing her a clipboard to fill out, she was instructed to have a seat. Kate tried to hand a now quiet Ari over to her sister so that she could fill out the information, but Ari wasn't having any of it. "I can fill it out, Kate," Alexis took the clipboard. "I'll ask you if there's something that I don't' know."

Kate handed the clipboard to Alexis as she adjusted Ari in her arms. The ER was full of people. Kate remembered when she first met Castle and he'd told her that everybody had a story. To distract herself, she wondered what the story was with the people in this room. She planted a soft kiss to Ari's feverish forehead as her phone buzzed. She dug it out of her pocket and looked at it. She had a text message from Castle. **'Got a postponement for Barcelona and Madrid. Will be home in a.m. for 18 hours. How's Ariel?'**

Kate looked at the baby before typing a response. **'Haven't seen doctor yet. It might be a while. Will call or text when I know something. ILY.'**

'**ILY. Text me the second you know anything. I'll see you in a.m.'**

"Your dad's coming home tomorrow for a little while. He's worried about the baby," Kate told her stepdaughter.

"He's worried about you, too. Did I ever tell you about what happened when I was six?" Alexis asked as Kate shook her head. "We were at the park and I thought that I could climb on the jungle gym like the bigger kids. Daddy tried to tell me that I wasn't big enough, but I had to try anyway. I slipped and fell. Daddy was so scared. I broke my wrist and they thought at first that I'd fractured my skull, but it was just a severe concussion. It took him months to let me climb on anything."

"And he had to do it alone."

"He called my mom, but she was on location somewhere at the time. She was mad at him for letting me climb, but it was my fault, not his. I'm sure that he feels bad because he's out of the country and can't be with you. I can bet he won't be going anywhere like that again unless he can take you and Ariel with him. He probably ripped Gina a new one."

"Ariel Castle!" The nurse called out as Kate and Alexis made their way to the trauma rooms. "What seems to be the problem?" The nurse asked.

"She woke up running a high fever. She's also pulling on her ears."

"Let's have a look at her," the nurse reached her hands out for Ari as Kate reluctantly handed her over. "How old is she?" 

"She'll be five months old on the 17th."

Ariel began to fuss as the nurse looked her over, but the fussing turned to screams when the nurse looked inside of her ears. "The insides of her ears are very red, so it's probably an ear infection. Just hang tight and Dr. Fleming will be right in."

"No doubt to jab her with needles again," Kate said under her breath when the nurse gave Ari back to her.

Kate was gently rocking and humming to the baby when the doctor entered the room 20 minutes later. "I understand that we have a sick baby on our hands," the doctor washed his hands and dried them before coming over and relieving Kate of the baby. "Has she shown signs of being sick before tonight?"

"No. She's been teething, but other than that, she's been fine."

"Teething?" The doctor looked at Kate. "It's a little soon for that, isn't it?"

"Yeah, well someone forgot to tell her. She's been biting on everything and drooling like crazy," Kate couldn't believe this man. 'Note to self. Shop for new pediatrician.'

"Well, it's definitely an ear infection," he concluded. "I'll give her a shot of penicillin and write you a prescription. She's going to be fine, Mrs. Castle," he smiled at Kate.

It was late morning by the time they got home from the hospital and the pharmacy. Kate placed Ari in her crib and texted Castle. **'Back home from ER. Ari has an ear infection. Got prescription for penicillin. We're all going to go to sleep for a few hours.'**

Her phone buzzed a few minutes later. **'At airport. Will catch redeye back to New York tonight. Will be home early in the a.m.'**

Kate felt guilty that he was coming home for such a short time when he'd be home for good in less than two weeks. But, at the same time, she really needed him to hold her and ease her fears. It would be wonderful even if was just for a few hours.

***CCC***

Kate was sound asleep when she thought that she was dreaming. But, no. It wasn't a dream. She heard Castle's voice through the baby monitor. "How's my baby girl? I heard that you had a rough day yesterday. Daddy's home for a little while. I missed you so much."

Kate got out of bed and made her way upstairs, stopping in the doorway and smiling at the sight of her husband sitting in the rocker holding their daughter. "You must be exhausted," she couldn't stop smiling. She was so damn glad to see him.

Castle got up and placed Ariel back in her crib before walking over and pulling Kate tightly into his arms, his lips coming down on hers as she moaned into his mouth. She wrapped her arms and legs around him as he walked out of the nursery and back downstairs to their bedroom.

After they made love, Castle lay with his head resting on Kate's stomach as she smoothed her hand through his sweaty hair. "So, when do you have to go back?"

"Tonight," he said in a sad voice. "My flight leaves at 11. It almost wasn't worth it to come home, but I had to. I was so scared, Kate."

"So was I. I'm glad that you're here, Castle. But, Alexis was great. I don't know what I would've done if she hadn't been here."

Kate let Castle sleep for a few hours, but then he got up and spent time playing with Ariel, who was feeling much better than she had the day before. He put her down on the floor on her busy blanket and spent time getting reacquainted with her. He was sad because she seemed to want Kate more than she wanted him. "She doesn't remember me," he said as he got up off of the floor.

"Castle, she sees you on Skype every day," Kate reminded him.

"Yeah, she sees me on a computer screen. It's not the same as seeing me in the flesh. I knew I shouldn't have left you two for so long," he stomped from the room.

"He took me on most of his tours when I was a baby. He never had to deal with me not remembering him," Alexis told Kate.

When Kate walked into their bedroom, Castle was sitting on the edge of the bed staring at the floor. Kate sat down, slipped her arm around his shoulders and rested her head against him. "You're going to be home for good in less than two weeks. She hasn't forgotten you, Rick. She's just gotten used to me, your mother, or Alexis being here with her."

"I always had Alexis with me, Kate. And, when I didn't, I wasn't away from her for more than a week. I thought I was going to have a heart attack when you called me. You shouldn't have had to deal with that alone. I should've been here."

"But, you couldn't be. Ari knows her daddy. I show her your picture a thousand times a day. Before you know it, you're going to be home and telling her stories in the nursery again."

Kate left Ari with Alexis that night so that she could take Rick back to the airport. "I'll be home in 10 days," he told her. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you, too. I love you, and don't even look at those Spanish women," she warned him.

"I'm a one-detective boy," he teased, using her play on being a one-writer girl. "I love you, too. Kiss Ariel for me when you get home."

"I will," she kissed him longingly one last time before he turned and went through the security checkpoint, waving at her from the other side.

Having him home had been wonderful, even if it was for such a short period of time. He'd accomplished everything that she'd wanted him to while he was there and more. She couldn't wait to get him back home and really let him know how much she'd missed him.

**A/N #3: I'm no longer as sure that I can get 30 chapters out of this. If anybody has any ideas, please let me know. **

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960.**


	9. Chapter 9--More Bonding

**Disclaimers: No. Enough said.**

**Summary: Alexis spends the day with Kate and Ariel as the two women bond further.**

**A/N #1: I thought that before I bring Castle back home from his book tour that I'd write a chapter about the growing relationship between Alexis and Kate.**

Chapter 9: More Bonding

_October_

It was a beautiful fall afternoon. Alexis was sitting in a coffee shop near Columbia awaiting the arrival of her two best friends, Taylor and Paige. She smiled at Ariel, who was propped up in a high chair by the table. Ariel grinned back, slamming her hands down on the toys that decorated the cushion that propped her up in the high chair. "Oh, your baby is sooo cute," a woman walking by the table stopped to comment.

"Ah, she's not my baby. She's my sister," Alexis corrected the woman. Since the birth of her sister, Alexis had gotten used to the comments from strangers who automatically assumed that Ariel was her daughter and not her half-sister. "Well, I guess it could be worse, Ariel. At least I'm not 14 and having people assume that."

At that moment her two friends entered the coffee shop, smiling and waving at Alexis as they made their way over to the table. "Oh, I didn't know that you were bringing your little sister," Paige was somewhat disappointed as the two young women took seats at the table.

"Kate had stuff that she needed to do today, so I offered to take care of Ariel. We can still have a girls' day out," Alexis reminded her friends.

"When's your dad coming back from his trip?" Taylor asked as a waitress came over to get their orders.

"Next week."

"So, he'll be staying home and taking care of her like he took care of you?" Paige asked.

"Yeah. But, I already told him and Kate that I want to take care of Ariel sometimes. We have fun together."

"Alexis, how can you have fun with her? She doesn't _do _anything," Taylor pointed out.

Alexis had noticed that her friends had changed since Ariel's birth. They didn't understand why she was so excited about being a big sister. "Paige, weren't you excited when your mom had your little brother?"

"Yeah, for about five minutes. After that, all he did was cry and poop. It just got annoying."

After coffee, the three friends did some shopping, but Paige and Taylor made excuses to end the afternoon early. After they went their separate ways, Alexis rolled Ariel's stroller to the park across from the loft and parked them by the duck pond. She unbuckled her from her stroller and put her in her lap. "Daddy brought me here all of the time when I was little. A few times I almost fell in. I don't know why my friends don't get it, Ariel. I was always so lonely when I was little. I mean, I had daddy and gram, but I wanted someone close to my own age to play with. I know that your mommy and daddy will probably give you lots of brothers and sisters. But, daddy's like a really big kid. We had a lot of fun when I was little."

Ariel grinned and made a grab for Alexis' long red locks. She was fascinated by her older sister's hair. "No, you can't pull on my hair," Alexis carefully removed the baby's tiny fist from it. "It's getting chilly. I'd better be getting you back home to mommy."

Kate was sitting at the dining room table filling out forms when Alexis walked in, pushing the stroller in front of her. "Hi," she smiled. "How was your day out with Paige and Taylor?"

"It kind of sucked," Alexis admitted as she removed Ariel from her stroller and brought her over to Kate. "They were upset because I had Ariel with me. It didn't take away from our day out. We were still able to go shopping and hang out. They're not the same since I became a big sister." Alexis sat down in one of the dining room chairs.

"I think it's because they don't understand how excited you are about something that they both experienced when they were younger," Kate smiled as she pulled her hair from Ari's grasp.

"Do you think my dad was upset because I was an only child?"

"I don't know. He's never talked about it. There are a lot of things he doesn't talk about."

"I know from my mom that I wasn't exactly supposed to have happened."

"Alexis, don't get me wrong. I like your mother, but I feel that there are some things that you should never divulge to your children. And I think that one of those things is letting them know that they weren't planned."

"The first memory I have of my mother was when I was three or four. I just remember this red-haired lady who smelled nice and was always bringing me things from FAO Schwartz and Neiman-Marcus. I think that she made daddy nervous. I remember her taking me somewhere one time and him coming to get me. He was so angry. I'd never seen him angry before. After that, he wouldn't let her take me out of the apartment."

Kate knew the story that Alexis was talking about. Rick had told her that Meredith was supposed to have taken Alexis just for the day and instead had whisked her off to Paris on a whim. He'd told Kate he wasn't even sure how she'd managed to obtain a passport for her, since he kept her passport locked up in his office safe. "Your dad told me that he wouldn't let her take you anywhere until you were old enough to decide if you wanted to go or not."

"I was eight the next time I went with her. She took me to Los Angeles where she was shooting a movie. That was fun," Alexis smiled. "Although she left me with a lot of babysitters."

"When you got kidnapped," Kate looked at Alexis, whose eyes opened wide, "your dad told me about the first time that he ever held you. He said that he felt like he'd gotten struck by lightning. He said that was when he realized the love that you could only feel for your child."

"Is that how you felt when you held Ariel for the first time?"

"Yeah," Kate smiled down at the baby, who'd nestled against her breast and fallen asleep. "Let me put her in her crib."

Alexis followed Kate up the stairs to the nursery, pausing to look at the pictures that lined the wall. There were a lot of pictures of her with her dad and gram, the maternity pictures of Kate, her dad and her before Ariel's birth, and the ones that had been taken when Ariel was just a few days old. That was when Alexis noticed that her dad had removed the ones of her mother with her. "Kate, where are the pictures of me with my mom?" Alexis asked when Kate came out of the nursery.

"Your dad put them in an album for you. Come on," Kate walked downstairs as Alexis followed her.

Alexis followed Kate into her dad's office where Kate handed her a photo album. "Sometimes I think that I was just a photo op to her," Alexis traced over the pictures in the album. "It was like, 'Oh look at the actress with her baby.' She didn't even fight for custody."

"Alexis, where is this all coming from?"

"Kate, did dad call her when I got kidnapped?"

"Yeah, he did."

"And let me guess? She couldn't be bothered," Alexis stormed from the room.

"No. Alexis, listen to me. Your dad called her as soon as he learned that you'd been taken also. We all decided that it was better for her to remain in Los Angeles until we knew more. The last thing your dad wanted or needed was to have to worry about another person. It was everything he could do to take care of himself and your gram."

"Every time that I try to talk about it with her, she shuts me down. She tells me that it's in the past and that I should just forget about it."

"Some people are uncomfortable talking about traumatic experiences," Kate told her.

"Are you uncomfortable talking about when you got shot?"

"No, not anymore. Alexis, do you want to talk about Paris? Do you feel like you're ready?"

"I still don't remember much after Sara and I came out of the lecture. When I woke up in that room, I remember thinking how mad dad was going to be."

"Alexis, why would your dad be upset?"

"He'd warned me about that blog. He'd warned me about how dangerous it was."

"Believe me; he never said a word about that. He was so scared. I've never seen him so scared. Not even when Tyson was trying to frame him for murder. He just wanted his little girl home."

"Kate, why won't he talk to me about any of it?"

"Oh sweetie, he doesn't talk to me about it, either. I didn't understand it until we had to take Ari to the ER that night. As a parent, you don't want to see your children in danger or being hurt. It's still too painful for him."

"I remember after he rescued me, that man Hunt directed us to the embassy. When we got to the embassy and told them who we were, dad explained to me who Hunt was and how he'd been involved in all of it. We joked one time about how his father could've been anybody. I still can't believe that he's retired CIA. When we were sitting there waiting for them to get me a passport, he held onto him so tight. It was like he never wanted to let me go."

"That's because he didn't. When he called and told us that he'd found you, I was so relieved. I was so happy that he'd found you without getting you or himself killed. I didn't learn about Hunt's involvement until after the two of you got home."

"Can you tell me about the parts that he won't talk to me about?"

Kate thought about those horrible few days. Rick had been a wreck and she hadn't been much better, but she'd forced herself to keep it together for him. When he'd brought Alexis home, he'd insisted that she stay at the loft instead of returning to the dorm. At night when his daughter would go to sleep, Castle would sit in her room and watch her for hours. Kate would have to almost literally drag him away from her. She decided that Alexis never needed to know about the parts of her ordeal that Castle wouldn't talk about. She never needed to know about the van with the huge pool of blood in the back, or the man her father had tortured for information while she, Ryan, and Esposito had turned a deaf ear. No, she never needed to know about any of that. She didn't need to know that side of her father existed. Until that night, Kate hadn't even known that Castle had that side to him.

"Alexis, the only thing that you need to remember about Paris and your father rescuing you is that your father loves you very much and he'd do anything for you."

"Kate?" Alexis looked at her stepmother. "I'm glad that we get to have these talks."

"So am I," Kate smiled as she hugged her tightly.

**A/N #2: Castle comes home in the next chapter. Please read and review. **

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960. **


	10. Chapter 10--Returning Home

**Disclaimers: Castle still belongs to Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC. **

**Summary: Castle returns home from his book tour and works on rebuilding his relationship with his two daughters.**

**A/N #1: This chapter is going to explore another first; the first tooth. **

**A/N #2: As you can tell, I just finished re-watching 'Target' and 'Hunt.' I figured that if I had questions, maybe Alexis would, too. **

Chapter 10: Returning Home

Kate was standing by the baggage claim at JFK, constantly checking the passengers that were arriving. It was a chilly October evening and Castle was returning home. Even though he'd been home for a short time a week and a half before, she felt as if she hadn't seen or touched him in weeks. She bounced Ari in her arms, smiling at her. "Do you see daddy, yet?" She asked her daughter. "Daddy's going to be so happy to see you."

At the mention of the word 'daddy,' Ari chortled and waved her arms up and down. Kate had made it a point to show her pictures of Rick every night, making sure that she knew who her daddy was and how much he missed her. Kate looked toward more passengers and broke into a huge smile at the sight of the ruggedly handsome man walking toward her. Her heart began galloping in her chest as she walked toward him. "Hey," she breathed as his lips came down on hers in a long, tender kiss.

He finally broke away and smiled at his daughter. "Hey, Ariel. Did you miss daddy?"

"Ari has a surprise," Kate told Rick. "Let's just say that breast feeding got a lot more interesting."

"She has her first tooth?" Rick took the baby who gave him a huge grin, revealing one pearly white tooth in her bottom gum.

"I got up to feed her a few mornings ago and . . . surprise. I wasn't expecting to get bit by my daughter," she pulled him closer to whisper in his ear. "I thought that you were the only _biter _in the family."

"I missed you," he wrapped his arms around her and just held her as tightly as he could. "Let's get my bags and get the hell out of here."

It seemed to take forever for Castle's large roll-around suitcase and smaller suitcase to appear on the baggage carousel, but finally he spotted them and quickly yanked them off. They then walked out into the crisp fall night. When they got to the Mercedes, he stashed his bags into the trunk before Kate handed him the keys. She buckled Ari into her car seat and walked around to the passenger seat. She was putting on her seat belt when Castle got behind the wheel and adjusted the seat and mirrors to his satisfaction before starting the car. "I'm so glad that you're home," she couldn't stop grinning.

"That makes two of us. But I'm telling you that you're coming on the next tour. I'm not doing that alone ever again. How's everybody at home?"

"Good. Castle, you might want to talk to Alexis," she looked at her husband.

"Paris?" The one word was all that was needed.

"I think she's ready."

"She knows that there are some parts that we've been sworn to secrecy about."

"She just wants you to fill in some of the missing pieces. Castle, you can't tell her about the van or Douglas Stevens," she warned him.

"No, she's never going to know about that," he agreed.

"I think she's upset because Meredith wasn't here when she came home."

"Kate, our relationship with Meredith is so . . . strange. Don't worry about it. I'll talk to her."

When they entered the loft, Castle was happy to see his older daughter waiting for him. "Hi, daddy!" Alexis flew into his arms and threw her arms around his neck. "How was your trip?"

"Long. I missed you," he kissed her as she clung to him.

"I missed you, too."

"So, are you staying here tonight?"

"Yeah. That's okay, isn't it?"

"Of course it's okay. I have to go to Black Pawn in the morning. Why don't we go and have breakfast before you go back to the dorm?" Castle suggested.

"Okay," Alexis was agreeable.

"Uh, somebody's ready for bed," Kate nodded toward Ari, who was beginning to fuss and rub at her eyes.

"I'll be up in a few minutes," Castle kissed Kate. "God, I missed the three of you so much."

"Do you want some hot chocolate?" Alexis asked after Kate had taken the baby upstairs.

"That sounds great," Castle sat on one of the bar stools as Alexis busied herself in the kitchen. "How's school?"

"Good. I have some finals coming up before the holidays. Daddy, mom called. She wants me to go to Paris with her for Christmas. Why doesn't she understand that Paris doesn't hold good memories for me, anymore?"

"Oh, sweetie," Castle got up and came into the kitchen where he pulled his daughter into his arms. "She doesn't understand because she's your mom. Does that make sense?"

"Because it's not about her," she looked at her father as he nodded. "I don't know how many more ways I can possibly explain it to her. I also don't want to miss Ariel's first Christmas."

"Then, tell her no. Tell her that you'll go somewhere with her after the holidays. Anywhere but Paris," he stressed to her.

"Okay," Alexis gave her dad a kiss on the lips. "Go upstairs and say goodnight to the baby. Your chocolate will be ready when you come back down."

Kate was nursing the baby when Castle came into the nursery. "Is Alexis okay?"

"Meredith wants to go to Paris for Christmas. As usual, she doesn't seem to get it. Typical Meredith behavior. It's always about what she wants."

"She's never going to change, Castle. You knew what she was like when you were married to her. Why should anything be different now?"

"I know. It just upsets me."

"Alexis is a big girl. Sooner or later she's going to have to draw a line in the sand where her mother's concerned and stop letting her manipulate her."

"Like I have?"

"I didn't say that. And I don't want to get into a fight about your ex-wife when you just got home. I have bigger and better plans for your first night home," she smiled at him.

"So do I. Weren't we going to reenact our first night together?" He reminded her.

"Uh, Castle. I don't want to be thumping into walls with our daughters sleeping right above our heads."

"Party pooper," he complained.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll give you a reunion to remember," she kissed him before getting up and walking Ari over to her crib.

"Promise?"

"Oh, yeah," she turned to give him a bright smile.

***CCC***

Castle and Alexis left for their errand early the next morning. First, Castle stopped by Black Pawn to turn in his expense reports before he took his daughter to breakfast. "Kate said that you might be ready to talk about Paris," he told her as he handed her a coffee.

"How did Hunt find you?"

"I really don't know. According to what he told me, he'd been tracking all of us for years. Me, you, and your gram."

"How do you feel about knowing who your dad is?"

"I don't feel any way about it, Alexis. Besides, he's not my dad. I'm _your _dad. I was there for your first steps, your first words, and your first day of school. Hunt might have fathered me, but that doesn't make him my dad."

"I'm sorry, dad," she hung her head.

"Alexis, no," he reached for her hand. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I understand that you're upset that your mother wasn't here."

"I wish that just once that she'd drop everything where I'm concerned," Alexis burst into tears. "Isn't that what a mom is supposed to do? Kate drops everything where Ariel's concerned! Why can't my mother love me like that?"

"Oh, Alexis," he sighed, getting out of his chair and walking over to her to pull her close. "You know what? Let's take a walk."

They grabbed their coffees and left the diner, walking down the street to a small park. "Can I ask you something?" Alexis wiped at her face. "Did she ever want me?"

"Alexis, please believe me when I tell you that your mother loves you very much. It's just . . . she's self-absorbed. She lives in the moment and she only thinks about things in terms of how they affect her. When I called her after your abduction, she wanted to come here. But, I was falling apart and I was trying to also take care of your grandmother. I just couldn't deal with her and how this was affecting her."

"Well, at least she offered to come," Alexis said.

"Alexis, you're old enough to know how your mother's mind works by now."

"Dad, I knew how her mind worked when I was six."

"And yes, she wanted you very much. We were just both surprised by you."

"I love you, daddy," she hugged him. "I was never happier in my life than I was when you showed up in that house in Paris."

"I was never happier to see anybody in my life than I was to see you that day," he smiled in remembrance. "You were a sight for sore eyes. If you want, I can talk to your mom about Christmas. Maybe you can go to Zurich or somewhere else."

"I'll talk to her, daddy. I need to make her start listening to me and stop using you to mediate."

Later that afternoon Kate was reading while keeping an eye on Ari who was rolling around the living room floor. Since learning that she could roll over, rolling was her primary means of getting around. Kate looked over at Castle, who was sleeping in the corner of the sofa, still recovering from jet lag. She got up and moved Ari back over to her busy blanket for the fifth time. "I'm about to go and get the playpen," Kate warned her very active daughter. "Daddy and mommy need to start baby proofing."

"No, we don't," she heard Castle's sleepy voice. "She just needs to learn the word 'no.' I didn't baby proof with Alexis. Bring me my baby."

"She won't stay," Kate told him. "She doesn't like being held now that she's learned that she can go from place to place."

"Wait until she starts crawling," Castle reached out his hands as Kate handed him the baby. "Hi, sweet pea. Daddy sure missed you," he placed her on his stomach as she reached her hands toward his mouth, grabbing his nose as he made funny noises at her.

"How was breakfast with Alexis?"

"Interesting. She sees how you are with Ariel and then she starts making comparisons to Meredith."

"Can I ask you a question?" She asked, watching him play with the baby. "Was Meredith that way when you first met her?"

"You mean selfish and self-centered?" He clarified as Kate nodded. "Yeah, but so was I. She was fun and she made me laugh. That's all that you think about when you're in your early 20's. I had no idea that she'd still be that way 20 years later. It didn't take me long to realize that she wasn't mature enough to care for a child."

"And you were?"

"Compared to her, I was like Alexis has always been. Kate, I might act childish at times, but at least I made sure that Alexis was clean and fed."

"Please don't get defensive. You just don't talk about either of your marriages that much. Don't you think that I might be a little curious?"

"Kate, I don't talk about them because there isn't much to talk about. Meredith felt trapped by marriage and motherhood, while I married Gina for all of the wrong reasons."

"Why did you marry Gina?"

"Because she liked Alexis and Alexis liked her. She'd do all of the girlie things that I didn't know anything about and my mother was too busy to do or she was between marriages at the time. Alexis was at the age where she really needed a mom. It didn't take me long to realize how wrong that was. We were miserable and we fought constantly. Alexis heard a lot of our fights. I figured that it would be better to raise Alexis alone than to ever subject her to anything like that again. After that, I made it a point to not even bring women around Alexis."

"You did a wonderful job with her, Rick. She's smart, considerate, and sweet. If Ari grows up to be half the person her big sister is, then I'll feel that we did a good job."

"Yes, we will," he grinned, bouncing the baby in his lap as she laughed out loud.

"I'm sorry that they both hurt you so badly."

"Well, they prepared me for the third time," he pulled her close as he kissed her.

They were still kissing when Kate felt a light tap on her face. She pulled away from Castle and laughed at Ari, who was patting her face with her tiny hand. "I think someone's feeling left out," she laughed as she reached for the baby so that they could cuddle her between them. "I'm so damn glad that you're back home."

"Me, too. You, Alexis, and Ariel are my home," he captured her lips for another sweet kiss.

**A/N #3: It was pointed out to me that Kate always calls the baby 'Ari,' while everybody else calls her 'Ariel.' Hmmm, I do something similar in my other fan fiction universe. **

**A/N #4: Yes, Ryan, Esposito, and Gates are going to make an appearance in this story.**

**Please read and review. I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960**


	11. Chapter 11--First Holidays

**Disclaimers: No, I could never do it as well as AWM.**

**Summary: The holidays are approaching as Kate convinces Alexis that she needs to face her fears regarding Paris.**

**A/N #1: There will be a reference in this chapter to 'Kill Shot.'**

Chapter 11: First Holidays

_November_

It was a cold November afternoon. Kate was sitting in the middle of the living room floor entertaining Ari. She loved these moments spent with her small daughter, who seemed to change every single day. Now six months old, she was developing more personality every day. She laughed constantly and made sounds that to Kate and Castle sounded like 'ma-ma' and 'da-da.'

Kate sighed as she lay on her back on the floor as Ari attempted to use her mother as a bridge. She had one week of maternity leave left before returning to work on the first of December. As much as she loved her job, she was going to miss being with the baby every day. "Ari, I know that you're going to be doing a lot of new stuff the next few months, but will you save a few of those new things for mommy? Please?" Ari grinned at the sound of her name. "Daddy and Alexis will be home with the turkey and all of the stuff for your first Thanksgiving."

"Dada," Ari babbled in response as Kate grinned.

"Hey, why don't you say 'mama,' for a change?" Kate lifted Ari's warm weight into her arms. "Why is daddy so popular?"

"Dada."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. You love your daddy. So do I," Kate kissed the baby's soft cheek as Ari giggled. "Hey, do you want to try your cup again?"

Kate got up off of the floor with Ari as she went to the kitchen to get the sippy cup she'd been trying to wean her daughter to. So far, the only thing her daughter liked to do with the cup was attempt to throw it across the room. She got the cup and walked over to the sofa, sitting down with the baby on her lap and placing the spout to her daughter's mouth. But, as had been the norm lately, Ari kept twisting her head away. Jenny had warned Kate that this would probably happen, but to just keep trying. Eventually she'd drink from the cup. "How about a story?" Kate leaned back as she settled Ari against her. "I know my stories aren't as good as daddy's but I'll try. Ari, your daddy is the bravest man I've ever known. He literally walked through fire to save me when a very bad man blew up mommy's apartment."

As she related the tale, one part of Kate's mind wondered what in the hell was wrong with her and Castle telling their baby daughter these horrifying stories. But then she remembered the fairy tales her mother had told her as a child. The witch had shoved Hansel into an oven, for crying out loud. The Evil Queen gave Snow White a poisoned apple. The stories that she and her husband related weren't that much worse in her opinion.

". . . After the fire department got done, daddy went back to my apartment. He searched the rubble until he found your grandpa's watch and then he had it fixed for me. He told me that his home was my home. Your grandma Martha knew that we were meant to be together before we did. Daddy and I were so silly for such a long time, my sweet baby girl. I hope that you're not that silly when you fall in love. When you're older, I'll explain to you all about swings, the word 'always,' and 'one and done.'"

"I think the whole of Manhattan was shopping at Whole Foods today," Castle complained as he walked through the door followed by Alexis. Both of them were loaded down with shopping bags.

"Well Castle, it is two days before Thanksgiving," Kate reminded her husband.

"Dada!" Ari shrieked as Castle and Alexis began laughing.

"What can I say? You're the more popular parent."

"No, it's just the easier sound to make first," Castle came over and took Ariel from her arms.

"At least her first words regarding you won't be to ask where you are," Alexis piped in as she began unloading groceries.

Kate looked at her husband. Alexis had been making a lot of digs lately regarding Meredith. She knew that the young woman was still trying to get through to her mother exactly why she didn't want to spend the Christmas holidays in Paris. Castle had offered to intervene, but Alexis had firmly told him that she had it under control. Kate was no longer as sure.

"Alexis, why don't you take Ari up to your room and play with her for a while? I'll help your dad put groceries away," Kate looked at Alexis, who instantly brightened and took her little sister from her father before going up to her room.

"Sometimes, I really hate what Meredith did to her," Castle kept his voice low as they began putting groceries away.

"Castle, how did you explain where her mother was?"

"For a long time I just said that she was working. But by the time Alexis was three or four, she wasn't buying that one too much, anymore. I think until she went to school, she thought that all kids just had a dad who stayed home all of the time. But, I'd take her to the playground and she'd see those moms . . . you could see the wheels turning."

"I just get the feeling that Meredith is forcing this whole issue about Paris because it's what _she _wants to do. To hell with how returning to Paris makes her daughter feel."

"Now you see what I lived with for two years," Castle pointed out.

Upstairs in her room, Alexis was on the bed with Ariel, and a bunch of toys that made sounds or lit up. Ariel's favorite was a ball with multi-colored lights that played nursery rhymes when she hit it with her small hands. "Ariel, you're so lucky that you're a baby, so that you don't have to get stuck with adult decisions. At least your mommy and daddy won't make you feel confused. You'll be able to talk to your mommy about things and she'll at least listen to you."

Ariel just looked at her older sister and grinned. "I used to love Paris," Alexis sighed, running a hand through her long red hair. "I loved the museums and the cafes. I loved walking on the Seine. Now Paris just scares me. Why doesn't she _see _that?"

"Alexis, are you hungry? Your dad was going to order pizza," Kate stood in the bedroom doorway.

"I'm not hungry," Alexis sat up and picked the baby up in her arms. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough," she came in and sat on the edge of the bed. "You do know that your dad or I will gladly talk to Meredith for you."

"If she won't listen to me, she's not going to listen to either of you," Alexis sighed. "I feel like I'm letting her down. She loves Paris. She taught me to love Paris. But, that was _before_."

"Alexis, sometimes to get over a fear, you have to face it head on. If you were to return to Paris and go back to the things that you love about the city, you can stow that other stuff away. But, maybe you need to go back to that house—"

"No!" Alexis shook her head vehemently. "I can't!"

"Alexis, listen to me. When I got shot and Dr. Burke told me that I had PTSD—"

"Kate, I don't have PTSD!"

"Alexis, listen," Kate urged her once again as the baby began to fuss. "Relax, because you're frightening Ari."

"Here, you'd better take her."

"When Dr. Burke told me that I had PTSD, I didn't want to believe him. I was letting my demons win. One day, your dad went to Javier because he was scared for me. Javier took me into the evidence room and pulled out this huge gun. It was the gun that had shot me. Looking at it brought back so many awful memories of that day. But Javi reminded me that it was just a tool. That house where Volkov held you was just a house. It doesn't have magical powers."

"So, you think that I should go to Paris with my mom?"

"How about if your dad goes with you, too? He needs to face some of that stuff head-on also. At least that way you'll be with someone who understands what you're feeling."

"But Kate, it's the holidays," Alexis protested.

"I thought that you were leaving the day after Christmas and coming back before New Year's. Ari and I'll be fine. Your gram can take care of her while I'm at work for a few days."

"Do you trust my mom and dad together?" Alexis made a funny face as Kate laughed.

"I trust your dad implicitly. Your mom? Not so much," Kate shook her head.

Kate was lying awake that night waiting for Castle to get out of the shower. She wasn't sure how he was going to take the suggestion about returning to Paris with his daughter. But she was sure that was the only way that Alexis was going to be able to move forward. It had been over a year and even after therapy, it was clear that the young woman was still traumatized by what had happened to her.

Castle came out of the bathroom and got into bed as Kate wrapped herself around him, snuggling close to his bare chest. "I had a talk with Alexis this afternoon."

"About her mother and Paris?"

"Castle, I think that you should go with her."

"Kate—"

"No, hear me out. Do you remember when Javi talked to me during the Lee Travis thing?" He looked at her and nodded. "Alexis is letting the bad stuff take over her good memories of Paris. You're the only person who completely understands what happened over there. You saw the house. You helped her get out of it. Meredith is never going to get it. To her, Paris is all about cafes, shopping, and museums."

"I don't want to be away from you and the baby again," he protested.

"Castle, it's only for a few days. Martha will happily watch Ari while I'm at work. She's already said that she would."

"Has Alexis said that she's okay with this?"

"I think it's the only way she's going to do it. It's a compromise, Castle. This way Meredith gets to spend time with Alexis while Alexis doesn't feel like she's letting her mother down."

"I'll go although I'd much rather take you to Paris instead of my ex-wife," he grumbled as he wrapped his arms around Kate.

"Castle, you're _not _taking your ex-wife to Paris. You're accompanying your daughter. If you let that woman set one foot in your hotel room, I'll castrate you."

"I thought you were going to say that you'd kill me and get Lanie and Perlmutter to cover up the crime."

"I can do that, too."

***CCC***

Two mornings later, Castle awoke to the wonderful aromas of a turkey roasting in the oven. He got up and pulled on some clothes before walking into the living room, where he smiled at the sight of his wife and his daughter busy in the kitchen while his baby daughter watched the proceedings from what could only be described as baby jail. "I see that you placed Ariel in holding," he teased as he walked into the kitchen, kissing first Kate and then Alexis.

"It was either put her in holding or step all over her. She's getting increasingly mobile," Kate said, handing Castle a cup of coffee.

"Is there anything that you need for me to do?"

"No, Alexis and I have it under control. Why don't you go see if the parades are on?" She suggested.

"Can I bail Ariel out?"

"Yes, you can bail her out."

Ariel was never happier than when she got to climb all over her father, pulling on his nose and ears as he made funny faces and silly noises at her. "Hey, no biting my nose!" Kate laughed as Castle pulled the baby away from his face. "I need that."

"Hold on," Kate pulled a teething ring from the freezer and brought it over to him. "See if she'd rather have this."

The teething ring worked for a few minutes until she started getting fussy and rubbing at her face. "I'm going to put her down for a nap before everybody gets here," Castle announced, getting up as Kate handed him a bottle. "I'm telling you that we have a connection," he teased, kissing her on the lips.

"No, I just recognize hungry and sleepy cries coming from our daughter."

By the time their guests started arriving for dinner, the baby was once again awake and her normal cheerful self. Jim Beckett walked into the apartment carrying a vase of fall flowers. "Happy Thanksgiving, Katie Bug," he hugged and kissed his daughter before giving her the flowers. "I thought that you might want to put these on the dinner table."

"Oh, they're beautiful. Thank you," she kissed her father.

After assuring herself that dinner was under control, Kate slipped away to go and change clothes. She smiled listening to the sounds of her family laughing and talking in the living room. She removed the dress that she was going to wear from the closet and laid it out on the bed. It was a deep burgundy color. She dressed and fixed her hair in an elegant upsweep, allowing some tendrils to fall on either side of her face.

"Katie, you look beautiful," her father breathed when she came out of the bedroom. "So, are your friends from the precinct dropping by?"

"Well, they're eating dinner with their own families, but I'm sure they'll be coming over at some point today to get dessert and watch football."

Martha arrived like the proverbial tornado shortly before they all sat down to dinner. Castle handed carving duties over to Jim as they all gathered around the table. "I think that you ladies have outdone yourself," Castle smiled at his wife and daughter.

"Let's all join hands," Jim said after he finished carving the turkey and sat down in his chair. "For the food that we are about to receive, we thank you. Thank you for the blessings of family and good friends."

Later that night, Castle and Kate were lying in bed as Ariel played between them, seemingly not ready for bed. Castle could see that Kate seemed to be somewhat melancholy. "What's wrong? Is it your mom?"

"No," she smiled, shaking her head as she played with the baby. "I hate the thought of having to leave her."

"So, take the full year," he told her.

"Castle, taking more time isn't going to make it any easier. I'll be okay."

"I'll tell you what," he snuggled down, laughing as Ariel grabbed at his nose. "When you come home after that first day back to work, I'll do everything in my power to cheer you up."

"I'm going to put her to bed," she said, noticing that Ari was starting to rub at her face. "Come on, chunky monkey. Give daddy a kiss night-night."

"Goodnight, sweet pea," Castle kissed his daughter's satiny cheek before Kate got out of bed and gathered her in her arms to take her upstairs. He rolled onto his side, listening to the nighttime sounds of Kate softly singing and humming to Ariel as she rocked the baby to sleep. He couldn't help making comparisons between Meredith and Kate. Meredith practically counted the days before she could return to work and her daughter while the very idea seemed to be sending Kate into a paralyzing depression. He made a vow to himself to pamper Kate more than ever in this next week before she had to return to work.

Upstairs in the nursery, Kate continued rocking Ari long after she'd fallen asleep. She couldn't help feeling a twinge of jealousy toward Castle, who'd soon be spending the whole day with the baby much as she'd been doing since her birth. But, like she'd just told him, putting off the return to work wasn't going to make it any less painful. At least she'd gotten to spend six months at home with her. She knew that was more than most working moms got.

"Night-night, chunky monkey," Kate placed the baby in her crib and covered her with a blanket before leaving her room and turning off the light.

**A/N #2: Okay, from an author's standpoint I loved the first part of this chapter and then it just fell apart. I couldn't seem to make it work. The next chapter might be a while coming so that I can figure out where I'm going.**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960**


	12. Chapter 12--Separation Pains

**Disclaimers: Nope.**

**Summary: Kate returns to work while Castle deals with a baby with separation issues.**

**A/N #1: Not having children of my own, it's a little hard for me to understand how Kate might feel leaving her baby to return to work. Hopefully I can get this right.**

Chapter 12: Separation Pains

_December_

Kate was getting dressed, returning to a routine she hadn't had to use in eight months. She opened her jewelry box and removed the chain holding her mother's ring and slipped it over her head. She then went into Castle's office to get her shield and Glock from the gun safe. She took a deep breath, trying to stop the tears that were in her throat. She'd been like this all morning. Castle was in the dining room feeding Ari her cereal while Kate got dressed. She knew that if she gave the baby breakfast she'd never leave the apartment.

She walked into the living room, removing her coat and scarf from the hall closet, smiling at her husband and baby. Ari, as if sensing that something was different with her mother, began to whimper from her high chair. "Castle, why do I feel like such an awful mother?"

"Hey, we've talked about this," he walked over and wrapped his arms around her. "If it gets to be too hard, go and talk to Gates. You can work for half a day if you want to, or take the remaining five months that you're allowed under FMLA. You're not abandoning her."

"Look at her, Rick," she nodded toward Ari. "She looks pathetic."

"That's because right now she's covered in rice cereal," he smiled, kissing the tip of her nose. "We're going to have a great time. Maybe we'll go for a walk."

"Just make sure she's well bundled."

"Kate, I've been through this before, remember? I'm not going to let her freeze to death."

"I've got to go or I'm going to be late," she reluctantly pulled away from her husband before walking over to the high chair. "Hey, chunky monkey. Be a good girl for daddy. I'll see you this afternoon," she kissed her cheek as Ari grabbed for her.

Kate kissed her once again as Ari began to cry. "Go, Kate," Rick walked her to the door. "It's like pulling off a band-aid. Standing here isn't going to make it any easier."

"You'll call if she needs anything?"

"I'll call and text you all through the day. We're going to be fine," he kissed her. "Be careful. I love you."

"I love you, too. Mommy loves you, Ari. Be a good girl."

Castle had no sooner closed the door than Ariel's cries erupted into full-fledged screams. "Hey, sweet pea," he crooned, removing her from the high chair and cuddling her against his broad chest. "Mommy had to go back to work, but she'll be back later on. You're going to have a great time with daddy. Your big sister and I used to have the best times." His words were being drowned out by the cries of his daughter.

He was walking around and talking to her an hour later when Martha walked into the loft. "What's wrong with my granddaughter?" She walked over and took the baby from Rick's arms as the crying magically ceased.

"What did you do? She's been throwing a fit since Kate walked out the door an hour ago. What am I doing wrong? Alexis was never like that."

"Yes, she was," Martha told him. "The first time that you were forced to leave her alone while you were on a book tour, she reacted the exact same way that Ariel is reacting now. I just never told you because all babies do it. You did it, too."

"I thought that she hated me."

"Oh Richard," his mother scoffed. "You're just not used to having to share a baby with someone. You and Alexis were always alone."

"How long will she be like that?"

"Probably today and tomorrow. She'll settle in and get used to her mother leaving her. Here, you take her back," Martha handed the baby back to Rick, as she immediately began to cry again. "Just do whatever you normally do with her. And relax. She probably senses your tension."

Rick walked over to the freezer and removed a teething ring, offering it to Ariel, who shoved it into her mouth. He then walked over and grabbed her favorite toy from the playpen before walking over to the sofa and settling down on it. He turned Ariel toward him and began making funny noise as his daughter stopped crying and started smiling and cooing at him.

***CCC***

"Hey, Beckett's back!" She heard Espo call when she exited the elevator.

She smiled and returned greetings while walking to her desk. Her desk looked just as it had when she'd left the previous April to start her maternity leave. She reached into her large purse and removed two photographs. One was of Rick with Ari while the other was of the three of them as a family. "Yeah, you're definitely a parent now," she turned to find Kevin Ryan standing right behind her.

"Hi, Ryan," she stood up and hugged him. "How's Jenny?"

"Getting huge. We have just over three months to go. Let me show you the ultrasound pictures," he smiled proudly, going over to his desk and bringing the grainy black and white photos over to his boss.

Kate looked at the pictures, looking at Ryan as realization dawned in her eyes. "A boy?" She asked as he nodded. "Kevin, that's fantastic! Congratulations!"

"Det. Beckett?" Kate turned to find Capt. Gates standing in her doorway.

"Congratulations," she whispered once again before going to the captain's office and closing the door behind her. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"I wanted to welcome you back. Are you okay?"

"Except for feeling like my heart has been ripped out, I'm fine. Was it hard for you leaving your baby the first time?"

"I cried for hours," she admitted. "I'll let you get back to work."

"Thank you, sir."

***CCC***

"I just don't understand _why _you're going with us," Rick's ex-wife Meredith was pacing around the loft as Rick watched her from the sofa.

"Meredith, I'm not going with _you_. I'm going with Alexis so that she can let go of some of those memories from her last time in Paris. You do remember Alexis' last time in Paris, don't you? I did call you to let you know—"

"The kidnapping. Yes kitten, I remember," Rick cringed at the nickname. "Richard, she underwent therapy for months. She should be over all of that. I just don't understand how one minute she can be so mature while at other times she acts like a five-year-old."

Knowing from experience that it did no good to try to reason with her, Rick just let it go. His phone buzzed, signaling a text message. He smiled when he read the message: **'How's Ari? Have you had any trouble?'**

He quickly texted Kate back: **'Everything's under control. She's taking a nap right now. I'm arguing with ex #1. Will explain everything later. ILY.'**

'**ILY 2.'**

"I thought you said that they didn't do anything to her," Meredith was walking around the apartment, looking at the pictures that were prominently displayed.

"Why does what might or might not have happened to our daughter make a difference, Meredith? She was drugged, thrown into a van, and whisked away to Paris, for crying out loud! She didn't know if she was being sold as a sex slave or kidnapped for ransom!"

He and Alexis had been sworn to secrecy over the reason for her abduction. To reveal the true reason would be paramount to signing his father's death warrant and he couldn't do that, despite the fact that he still knew no more about Jackson Hunt than he had following their initial meeting.

"I could take her to the places where she needs to go, Rick."

"Meredith, I'm not just doing this for her. I'm doing it for myself, as well. I know that you could take her to the places, but they're just places to you. We have nightmares, Meredith. If we go back to the places where she was held, hopefully we can put an end to the nightmares. I'm not coming along to ruin your time with Alexis."

"And Kate's all right with this?"

"She's the one who suggested it," he was about to say something further when he was interrupted by the baby monitor. "I'll be right back."

He went upstairs, changed Ariel and brought her back downstairs where he went into the kitchen and warmed a bottle. He sat down in his recliner and placed the bottle in his daughter's hands, as she took care of the rest. Meredith smiled watching them. "So, is it like riding a bike?"

"Not quite. I wasn't prepared for her to throw a fit when Kate left to go to work this morning. I never experienced that with you."

"I guess because I started working before Alexis had problems with being separated from me."

He looked at his ex-wife, wanting to ask her so many questions. First and foremost was how your baby could have separation issues when you were never around. Ariel had eyes only for Kate. It was apparent every time they were all together as a family. While she loved being held by everybody else, she was happiest when she was with her mommy. Her whole face radiated joy when Kate held her. He'd never noticed that with Alexis and her mother. Alexis had looked like that when she was with him. To their daughter, Meredith was the pretty lady who smelled good and brought her presents. "She's truly gorgeous, Rick," she complimented him. "She looks a lot like you."

"That's what everybody tells me," he smiled, watching as the baby drank from her bottle.

"So, are you going to have another one?"

"Meredith, she's not seven months old, yet. I think Kate and I have time to talk about it."

"Do you ever wish that we'd had another one?"

"Honestly? No. You were never around for Alexis. Be honest, Meredith. You barely had the urge for one. You were never going to have another one."

"I guess that I'd better go before we rehash one of our old fights," Meredith retrieved her coat and slipped into it. "I'll see you on the 26th," she said as she walked to the door. "Tell Alexis that I'll call her in a few days. If I don't see you before, have a Merry Christmas, Richard."

"You, too. As for Alexis, you can call or text her yourself," he said as he watched Meredith walk out of the loft. "That, my dear sweet pea, is your big sister's mommy. When you get a little older, you're going to learn that while you and Alexis have me for a daddy, you have two very different mommies. Your mommy is beautiful, smart, and makes grown men cry when she questions them in a tiny little room. Alexis' mommy is beautiful, but she's like a Deep-Fried Twinkie. One is delicious, but you quickly get sick if you eat more than one."

***CCC***

Rick was writing in his office while Alexis played in her bouncer nearby, squealing and babbling in her baby voice. He looked toward his opened doorway when he heard a key in the front door. "I think mommy's home," he walked over and scooped Ariel out of her bouncer before going to the living room.

"Hey," Kate smiled at the welcome sight of her husband and her daughter coming to greet her. "I missed you two," she kissed Castle as Ariel grabbed her mother's hair. "Hey, chunky monkey," she took the baby from Castle and kissed her. "I swear you've grown."

"Kate, you've only been gone nine hours. I doubt that she's grown in nine hours."

"I'm going to change clothes and then you can tell me all about your visit with your ex."

Kate took the baby into the bedroom, placing her in the middle of the bed while she quickly changed into a pair of sweats and one of Castle's t-shirts. After slipping her feet into a pair of house shoes, she reclaimed her daughter, who was clearly very happy to see her mother judging by the number of love pats she placed on Kate's face. "She had her first fit this morning."

"Oh, did she cry a lot?" Kate turned toward Castle.

"Yes, but she got over it. My mother showed up and told me that Alexis did it the first time I had to leave her. Apparently, so did I."

"So, what happened with Meredith?"

"She didn't understand why I'm going to Paris with _her_. I explained that I wasn't going with _her_, I was going with Alexis. She had to leave because we almost got into one of our old fights."

"About what?"

"About the fact that she couldn't be bothered to spend time with Alexis when it mattered the most. She didn't want to be bothered with her at the infant stage. It seemed like she didn't get interested until Alexis was walking, talking, and toilet trained."

"Well, I admit that sometimes I wish there were times when Ari could actually tell me what she wants, but I'm really enjoying this," she smiled. "I kept staring at the pictures on my desk today, not believing that I'm a mom. I tell myself that a zillion times a day. Even six months later I can't believe that I'm a mom, Castle," she couldn't stop grinning. "I mean, my mom was a mom and your mom's a mom. I never thought that title would ever apply to me."

"Well, how about if I go and fix this mom some dinner?" He walked over and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'd love it," she cuddled with him and the baby.

**A/N #2: The next chapter will be Ariel's first Christmas. **

**Please read and review. As usual I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960.**


	13. Chapter 13--Baby's First Christmas

**Disclaimers: Yeah, I wish.**

**Summary: Kate and Rick celebrate Ariel's first Christmas as Alexis makes plans to return to Paris to face her own demons.**

Chapter 13—Baby's First Christmas

_Two weeks before Christmas_

Kate walked up to the front door of the loft and struggled with her key, juggling shopping bags, and a squirming baby. She finally got her key in the lock and elbowed the door opened, kicking it closed behind her. "Kate, you should've rang the bell," Alexis jumped up from the sofa and ran over to assist. "Did you find her a dress?"

"I found her the _perfect _dress," Kate beamed as she sat down and removed Ari's coat, hat, and mittens. "Wait until you see it." Ari was struggling to get down on the floor, so Kate released her as the now crawling baby headed for the stairs, which had been gated for her safety.

"She's such a speed demon," Alexis laughed as the two women watched Ari furiously exploring her world. "So, let me see her dress."

Kate took an oblong box from one of the shopping bags and removed the lid. She moved the white tissue paper aside to reveal a vision in wine colored velvet. It had a deep burgundy ribbon encircling the waist while the bodice was trimmed in white lace. "Oh, Kate," Alexis breathed as Kate lifted the dress from the box. "She's going to be the best dressed baby at Midnight Mass."

"I just hope she doesn't want to crawl all over the church. Have you heard anything from your dad?"

"No, but I'm not the first person he'd call. He's probably still in meetings. Kate, I'm glad that your dad's joining us for Christmas."

"So am I," Kate smiled before getting up and retrieving her daughter who was trying to find a way into her father's office. She'd learned that her daddy had lovely things on his lower bookshelves that she could pull off.

Ari fussed and squirmed in her mother's arms. Kate kissed her warm cheeks and brought her into the living room and placed her in her playpen, dumping most of her favorite toys in with her. Kate's phone buzzed with a text message. **'Is Alexis there with u?'**

'**Yes, she is.'**

"**I'm picking up Chinese on my way home. See u soon. ILY.'**

'**ILY 2.'**

"Your dad's bringing Chinese food home," Kate told Alexis who was by the playpen playing with Ari.

"Great because I'm starving."

"So, are you getting excited about Paris?"

"Would you believe me if I said yes?"

"No."

"Kate, what if I never get over the things that I'm afraid of?"

"Well, I'll tell you, Alexis," Kate came over and sat on the floor by the playpen, "you're never going to completely 'get over' it. There are always going to be things that will bring those fears back. But, what you have to do is learn to control those fears. You take them over instead of the other way around."

"Is that what you did?"

"That's what I had to do."

"It's just not right," Alexis sighed as she got to her feet. "My dad should be taking you to Paris, not me."

"Alexis, believe me, one day your dad will take me to Paris. He's doing this because he loves you and he'd do anything in the world for you."

They looked toward the door when they heard Castle's key in the lock. He came through the doors with bags of Chinese takeout in tow. "Dada!" Ariel screamed happily at the sight of her father.

"I was thinking on the way home that maybe after dinner the Castle family can bundle up and go Christmas tree shopping," he walked over, kissing first Kate, and then Alexis. Kate took the bags from his hand so he could remove Ariel from her playpen as she chortled happily. "I see mommy had you in holding again, huh, sweet pea," he rubbed his cold nose against the baby's cheek as she squealed with laughter.

"Castle, please stop referring to your daughter's playpen as a holding cell. Do you really want to take her out in the cold to look at trees?"

"Kate, it's her first Christmas," he reminded her as Alexis came to the table with plates and silverware. "She should get the full experience."

"Castle, she's not quite seven months old. She's not even going to remember her first Christmas."

"But, we will," he gave her a look that was so hangdog that she couldn't refuse him. "The memories are for us too, Kate."

"Okay, so after dinner we'll go and look at trees," she grinned.

Before becoming involved with her ruggedly handsome writer, Kate had stopped celebrating Christmas. Her mother's death had come just two weeks after Christmas and it had taken her a long time to want to even think about Christmas again. Getting used to Castle and his exuberance over the holiday took some getting used to. He and Alexis had started decorating the loft the weekend after Thanksgiving. He'd pointed out that it was a tradition. He had gradually managed to pull Kate into the excitement.

The hardest thing she'd done was go to her father's house and remove the boxes of decorations that they'd stored after her mother's death. Boxes that she'd never opened until a week after Thanksgiving. Castle had been with her that day.

"_You're sure that you want to do this?" He'd asked her as she handed the boxes down to him from the attic crawlspace._

"_It's time," she'd smiled as he helped her down. _

_They'd sat on the floor of her old bedroom and carefully opened the first box, revealing a sea of both store bought and handmade ornaments. Castle pulled out a snowflake with a picture of Kate glued in the center of it. "This is too cute," he showed it to her as she rolled her eyes and tried to take it from him. "No way, Beckett! This is definitely going on the tree."_

_Her eyes misted over as she pulled out a carefully wrapped ornament. The tears spilled over as she unwrapped it, unveiling a beautiful glass and crystal ornament. "I bought this for my mom when I was in Kiev," she looked at Castle. "She always put it on the tree first. She said that it was her favorite ornament."  
_

"_Kate—"_

"_I'm okay, Castle."_

"_I know that your dad goes to his cabin, but do you think that he'd change his mind this year?"_

"_Castle, he stopped celebrating Christmas when she died. That's why he leaves the city. He wants to avoid the lights and the cheerfulness."_

"_But, this year he has a new granddaughter," he reminded her. "Don't they always say that Christmas is for children?"_

"What're you thinking about?" Castle's voice brought her back to the present.

"How great Christmas is going to be this year," she smiled. "All of us being together, even my dad. I still can't believe that you managed to pull that one off, Castle."

"I'm a genius, aren't I?" He told her as he snagged a spring roll.

Kate remembered the conversation Castle had with her dad regarding Christmas.

"_So, are you going to take the boxes with you, Katie?" Jim Beckett asked, handing coffee to his daughter and son-in-law._

"_Yeah," Kate accepted the cup gratefully. She watched as he walked over to the travel crib that he kept for Ari and stared at her sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the world. _

_He so loved being a grandpa. Every time he came to the loft, he brought her something. Ari currently had enough toys for 10 kids. "Sometimes, when Ariel's asleep, she looks like you," he turned to smile at Kate. _

"_I think she looks like Rick. However, she acts like me."_

"_Do you mean stubborn?" Jim couldn't help teasing._

_Kate smiled back before she looked over at Castle, nodding at him to ask about the holiday._

"_Jim, Kate and I were wondering . . . I know that you go to your cabin, but we were hoping that you'd spend the holiday with us. You can spend Christmas Eve at the loft. We could all go to Midnight Mass together . . . "_

"_Rick, I appreciate the invitation, but I can't. Christmas is hard. Katie can attest to that."_

"_I understand that, but this year you have a reason to celebrate. This is Ariel's first Christmas. I think she'd really like to spend it with her whole family. Especially with her grandpa."_

"_Please, dad?" Kate looked at her father. "I mean, how many first Christmases is she going to have?"_

_Jim looked at Ariel and then turned his gaze to his daughter. He could almost hear Jo telling him that he needed to be with their daughter and granddaughter. That it was time to start celebrating life and stop mourning her death. "Well, I would love to see my granddaughter in the middle of a pile of wrapping paper on Christmas morning," he smiled._

"_Thank you, dad," Kate got up from the sofa and fiercely embraced her father._

After dinner, Kate got the baby bundled into her one piece snowsuit and handed her to Castle before she slipped her own coat, scarf, and gloves on. "Every time I see her in this thing, I always think of that kid in _'A Christmas Story.' _'I can't put my arms down,'" Castle grinned at Kate, who just rolled her eyes.

Castle had a particular lot he always went to. He'd been going to this guy since Alexis was a baby and said that he always had the perfect tree. Despite the bitter cold, Ari seemed to enjoy the adventure if her squeals and baby babbling was any indication. She wanted to touch all of the trees in her mittened hands. They walked around for so long that Kate could no longer feel her feet. Castle and Alexis had gone in one direction while she went in the other direction with Ari. Occasionally she made it a point to feel her daughter's small face to make sure that she wasn't too cold. "Daddy's trying to turn you into a baby popsicle," Kate told her as Ari grinned a four-toothed grin.

Her phone buzzed, signaling a text. **'Found the perfect tree. Where r u?'**

'**Trying to keep ur daughter from freezing to death. Where r u?'**

'**Stay where u r. 'Lex and I will find u.'**

Kate was bouncing the baby when Castle and Alexis joined up with them. "Take her," she handed Ari to Castle as she pulled a blanket from the diaper bag. "It's too cold out here for her, Castle."

"I'm sorry," he made faces at Ariel, who didn't seem to mind being cold. But he knew that Kate was right. "Anyway, Bruce and his boys will deliver the tree in an hour, so we need to get home."

"He just gets excited," Alexis tried to console Kate, who was still simmering with fury. "Once when I was five, he took me out tree shopping when it was five below. I thought gram was going to skin him alive."

When they arrived back at the loft, Kate went to give Ari a bath while Alexis made hot chocolate for everybody. Castle walked into the ensuite bathroom where Kate was bathing the baby in the huge bathroom sink. "I'm sorry," he came up next to her.

"Castle, you have to remember something," she looked at him while Ari splashed in the water. "I'm still getting used to once again celebrating a holiday that I spent more than 10 years trying to avoid. I know that you want to create special memories for Ari, but there's nothing special about being cold."

"I know, but for the record I think that she enjoyed herself. You need to relax a little. She's not going to break," he kissed her on the head before turning to leave.

"Excuse me!"

"Hey, I'm not going to argue about this now. Not in front of our daughter. Either of our daughters. If you're still angry in an hour, we'll talk about it then," he turned and left the room.

While Castle had been a single parent, he'd been a _father_ raising a child alone. Kate knew that he just didn't get the fears that come from being a mom. "I guess I need to cut daddy some slack, huh, chunky monkey?" She told her daughter, who just hit her hands hard in the water, soaking Kate in the process. "Hey, if you keep doing that, I'm going to start bathing you in the big bathtub. Although I'll probably have to put a life vest on you."

She pulled her from the sink and wrapped her in a fluffy towel that all but swallowed her up. She then took her over to hers' and Castle's bed, placing her in the middle of it before trying to get her dressed for bed. But Ari was keyed up from her tree shopping adventure and rolled over every chance she got. Dressing her for bed was the human equivalent of dressing an octopus. "What am I going to do with you?" Kate chucked her under the chin as Ari squealed with laughter. "Come on, let's go to bed."

Kate was upstairs rocking the baby when she heard the doorbell. Ignoring the commotion, she continued rocking and quietly humming to Ari, whose eyelids got heavier and heavier. Finally she gave up the fight to stay awake and fell asleep in her mother's arms. She put her in her crib and covered her with her favorite blanket before straightening her blouse and going downstairs where the tree guy and Castle were in the process in placing the huge tree in the middle of the living room. Kate had to admit that her husband had a knack for picking out trees. This one was magnificent. It was at least 15 feet tall and incredibly full. "Isn't it great?" Alexis beamed, handing Kate a cup of hot cocoa.

"Yes, it is," Kate agreed.

After getting the tree in the exact spot, Castle gave the delivery man a huge tip before walking him to the front door. He then walked over to his wife and daughter. "Do I know how to pick a tree or what?" He boasted.

"Uh dad? I found this tree. You promised to give me credit," Alexis reminded him.

"So I did, pumpkin," he kissed Alexis on the forehead. "Is the baby asleep?"

"Yeah," Kate took a sip of her cocoa.

"So, am I forgiven?" He whispered in her ear as she felt her skin tingle.

"I haven't decided, yet," she gave him a devilish grin that sent his blood instantly traveling south.

"Well, I don't know about you ladies, but I think that we should decorate this bad boy," Castle suggested.

Kate took a deep breath, knowing that this was the moment of truth. Taking those boxes from the attic at her father's house had been one thing. Putting them on the tree was going to be another. The last time she'd seen those ornaments had been as she and her father had taken them from the tree the day after her mother's funeral. She took several deep breaths to calm herself, but the feeling was still overwhelming. She finally turned and ran from the room. "Dad?" Alexis looked at her father.

"This is going to be hard for her, Alexis. I'll see about her. You start decorating," he told her.

Kate was in the bathroom, clutching the sink and crying her eyes out, her breath coming in harsh gasps. She felt strong arms encircle her from behind as Castle pulled her against his chest. "Castle, this is so hard!"

"I know. Well actually, I _don't _know. We don't have to do this, Kate. I can understand if you're not ready."

"I have to do this, Rick," she turned in his embrace. "My mother would want to share those things with Ari. This isn't about me and my grief, anymore. I'm always going to miss her. That's never going to go away. But I want to share my mom with Ari. Just give me a few minutes," she told him as he kissed her on the forehead. "Can you get the boxes for me?"

"Yeah."

After some initial tears, decorating the tree turned out to be far more fun than Kate could've imagined. In some ways it brought back the memories of decorating the tree with her mom. Her dad had always managed to make himself scarce during that time. So it had always just been her and her mom, drinking hot chocolate and eating cookies, laughing at the handmade ornaments that Kate never wanted to see on the tree.

"You were one skinny kid," Castle held out the same ornament he'd pulled out at her father's house as Kate tried to once again grab it from him. "Didn't your parents ever feed you?"

"Castle, you've seen me eat. Believe me; they fed me all of the time. Give me that!"

"It's cute," he told her.

"No, it's not! It's embarrassing."

It took more than three hours to decorate the huge tree. At the end, Castle climbed a ladder and placed a crystal star at the very top. It was almost midnight and all three of the decorators were exhausted. They stood back to admire their work. "We do good work," Castle wrapped an arm around each of his girls.

"Yeah, we do," Alexis kissed her father's cheek. "I'm going to bed. I'm going shopping with the girls tomorrow."

"Seeing this tree reminds me of the first Christmas we spent together," Kate remembered. "I remember seeing that tree and I was enchanted. I love you, Castle."

"I love you, too. Bath or shower?"

"Bath," she nipped his jaw. "I want to cuddle."

_Christmas Eve_

Castle was pacing around the living room waiting for Kate to finish dressing their daughter so that they could leave for church. They were meeting Alexis, Martha, and Jim at St. Patrick's Cathedral and then they were going to return to the loft for a late meal before opening one gift and going to bed. "Kate, come on! We're going to be late!"

"Just one second," she called back.

Castle's irritation evaporated when Kate came out with Ariel in her arms. Both of his girls looked stunning. Kate was wearing the dress that she'd worn for his murder mystery surprise party two years before. "Do I get to unwrap you again?"

"If you're very, very good," she whispered.

Ariel's dress took Castle's breath away. It was wine colored velvet with a huge sash around it. Kate had paired it with a frilly petticoat, white tights and tiny black patent leather shoes. Kate had glued tiny white bows in their daughter's brown hair. "I can tell you from experience that the bows won't survive the hood of her coat," Castle helped Kate with her coat before getting the baby into her coat and hat.

The church was beautiful. They spent the majority of the service passing Ariel among them to keep her amused. Kate thought it was funny that every time the choir sang, Ari thought that she needed to sing, too. Finally, toward the end of the mass, Ari fell asleep in her mother's arms, her weight warm in Kate's arms. "Can you take her?" Kate whispered to Castle, passing Ari over to him. "I need to go and light some candles."

Castle simple nodded, watching while Kate followed he father and other parishioners to the front of the church. It was a long line, so he knew that they'd be here for a while. He smiled down at his daughter, soundly sleeping in his arms. He cherished this first Christmas because he knew that next year they'd probably have to put her on a leash. He smiled as he remembered Alexis' second experience with Midnight Mass. They'd had to leave because they couldn't keep her still and Martha was sure they were going to start a riot.

Kate walked behind her father as they slowly made their way to the front of the church. "I'm glad you came with us, dad," she whispered to him.

"I'm not going to deny that this was hard, Kate," he whispered back. "But, seeing how beautiful you and Ari look tonight made it worth it."

When they got to the front of the church, Kate took a long taper and lit three candles. One for her mother, one for Roy Montgomery, and one for Mike Royce. "Mom, I miss you so much. But you'd be glad to see that at least I'm living again. Roy, I know that you're watching out of me, for us. And, you were right. I'm having a lot of fun now. Royce, thank you for your letter. Your words forced me to stop fighting my feelings."

Kate woke up later that night and found Castle's side of the bed empty. She got up and made her way into the living room, smiling before she turned and went to get her phone. She came back into the living room and turned the camera on the sight by the brightly lit tree. Castle holding Ariel on his chest as both of them slept by the tree. "Castle, what're you doing?" She whispered as she lay on the floor beside them.

"Oh, she woke up," he murmured sleepily. "We came down here to try to catch Santa in the act."

"Did you catch him?"

"No, I'm pretty sure he waited for us to go to sleep. Merry Christmas," he smiled as their lips met in a tender kiss.

"Merry Christmas. Why don't you put her back to bed and I'll give you an early present," she smiled at him.

"I can unwrap you again?"

"Oh, yeah," she rubbed her nose against his.

"I'll be back in a jiffy." She took the baby while he got to his feet before handing the sleeping bundle back to him. He went upstairs and placed Ariel in her crib before kissing her. "We'll catch Santa one of these days, Ariel. Merry first Christmas, sweet pea."

As Castle went back downstairs to rejoin his wife in bed, he couldn't help but think about how this was the best Christmas they'd celebrated in years. Everything just felt right.

**A/N #1: As I was writing the scene in the church with Kate lighting the candles, I almost lost it.**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960.**


	14. Chapter 14--Christmas Day

**Disclaimers: No, but so many things in my life would be better if I did.**

**Summary: Christmas Day in the Castle household as Rick and Alexis prepare to leave for Paris.**

**A/N #1: This is a short bridge chapter before Castle goes to Paris with Alexis.**

**A/N #2: I have a four-year-old great-nephew and a six-year-old great-niece who live with me. Disney Jr. is a fixture in my house, although I don't believe in a small baby watching TV. The two that I have living with me watch way too much. **

Chapter 14: Christmas Day

Castle woke up early Christmas morning to the delightful sound of baby laughter. He rolled over and smiled at the sight of Kate playing with Ariel, who was cackling with joy. "How long have you two been awake?" He propped himself on one elbow to watch them.

"Not too long," she leaned down and kissed Castle as Ari began rooting around at her chest. "Are you trying to tell me something?" She lowered her shirt and winced at the feel of Ari latching on. "Ow! Watch with the teeth, young lady. I've definitely got to work harder on this weaning thing."

"She's not ready, yet. Isn't that what her pediatrician said?" Castle stroked Ariel's hair as she nursed.

"That's what she said."

Kate had found a new doctor after the emergency room incident. Dr. Elizabeth Sullivan was much more in tune with what Kate wanted in a doctor for her baby. She'd told Kate that Ariel would probably be ready to be weaned at between seven and nine months old. She'd warned the new mom not to remove her from the breast before she was ready.

"I'm going to get dressed and start making breakfast for everybody," Castle kissed her once again before getting out of bed.

Kate was finishing up with the baby when Alexis burst into hers' and Castle's bedroom, throwing herself on the bed and cuddling up with Kate and the baby. "Merry Christmas, Kate. Merry Christmas, Ariel. Just think. This is your first Christmas," Alexis smiled at her sister, who instantly grinned back.

"How did you sleep?" Kate asked.

"Okay. I think I'm still a little uptight about tomorrow."

"Alexis, you're going to be fine. It's only a week. You'll be back on the second. I want you to listen to me," she forced Alexis to face her. "Dr. Burke taught me some deep breathing techniques that help when you feel the panic coming on. And I know that you know damn well what I'm talking about."

"I do."

"Your dad knows about my techniques. He knows what to do when I'm having an attack. Don't fight him if he starts trying to help you. It's going to be hard, Alexis, but believe me when I tell you that you're going to feel so much better if you go and see those places where you were held. You have to see that they're just buildings."

"I'm glad that dad's going, even if it's just for a couple of days. Can I call you if it gets really bad?"

"I fully expect you to," Kate smiled as Ari began using her for a human jungle gym. "I need to get her and myself dressed, and then we'll go eat breakfast and open presents."

"I can get her dressed while you dress," Alexis volunteered as she reached her arms out to her sister, who willingly went into them.

By the time Kate and Ariel were both dressed, Castle had breakfast ready. They sat down to eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and English muffins. Kate put Ari in her high chair and placed several small pieces of banana on the tray with her. She knew that most of it would end up smashed up on the tray, but Ari would get a little in her belly. "Your mother used to pour Cheerios on your tray when you weren't much older than she is," Jim said.

"Dr. Sullivan wants me to wait a little longer before I give her Cheerios."

After Christmas breakfast came the unwrapping of the huge pile of gifts under the tree. Everybody got a lot of video of Ariel having a blast amidst the discarded wrapping paper and ribbons. As with most babies and young children, she was more fascinated with the boxes than with any actual toys that she received.

By mid-morning, the baby was tuckered out. Castle scooped her up and sat down on the sofa besides Kate, who was admiring her bounty of gifts. "Castle, I can't believe that you found a first edition of _'Sonnets from the Portuguese,'" _she kissed her husband, who was holding Ariel on his shoulder. "Where did she learn to do that?"

Ariel had her head resting on Castle's shoulder as she patted his shoulder with one hand. "She doesn't do this with you?" He asked as she shook her head. "Hmmm. It must be a daddy thing. It always puts her to sleep. Give her five minutes and she'll be out like a light. Sometimes she hums and says 'dada,' 'dada,' over and over. It's really cute."

"She hums? Really, Castle?"

"Why not? She hears you humming to her every night."

"Rick's right. You were playing Mozart when you were four years old," Jim came over and sat down, smiling tenderly at his granddaughter, who was now sound asleep on her father's shoulder. "Your mother loved the piano and she especially loved Mozart."

"I know."

"Cool, Kate," Alexis and Martha came over. "I didn't know that you played the piano."

"I don't, anymore," she sighed.

Castle didn't say anything. Kate had told him about the piano after she'd moved into the loft. He had seen her admiring the baby grand in his loft.

"_Do you play?" He asked her._

"_No, not anymore. My mother played beautifully. She taught me when I was three, maybe four years old. After she died, I couldn't even bear to look at the piano, anymore. Listening to Mozart makes me want to run and hide."_

He'd incorporated the piano story as a part of Nikki Heat's back story. He hoped that one day she'd want to play again. He longed to hear her. It would be nice if she could teach their children. "I'm going to take her upstairs," Kate carefully took Ari from Castle and carried her upstairs.

"The pain never goes away, Rick," Jim told him.

"I know," Castle sighed. "Let me go check on her."

Kate was standing over Ari's crib, stroking her stomach when Castle walked in. "Hey, Castle," she smiled at the feel of him wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against his chest. "I'm sorry if I'm getting so much inside of my head today."

"It's okay. Does it have anything to do with me leaving tomorrow?"

"A little," she turned into his embrace. "I know that you'll be back on the 28th, but I'm still going to miss you terribly."

"I'm going to miss you, too. Hey, I have a surprise. Your father has offered to watch Ariel for us on New Year's Eve. I want to take you out and ring in the new year with you," he rubbed his nose against hers.

"Really? When did you plan this?"

"When you weren't looking or listening. Do you remember when you found me by the tree last night?" She nodded. "I talked to him then. Well, before you found me and Ariel."

"You're so sweet, Castle. I love you so much."

"I was thinking that maybe tonight we could take a hot bubble bath and then I can read Elizabeth Barrett Browning to you."

"You're such a sappy romantic, Castle. I love it."

That night, Kate was lying with her head on Castle's shoulder, tracing circles on his bare stomach with her fingers. At the moment she felt boneless and sated. After putting Ari down for the night, she'd shared a long bubble bath with Castle, complete with soft music and candles. Then, they had come to bed where as promised; Castle had read her several sonnets and poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. They had then made love very softly and very sweetly, every sensation seemingly magnified by the softness. "If I was a cat, this would be the part where I'd be purring and arching my back," she kissed his shoulder softly.

"I'm glad you're so contented," he kissed her.

"We need to sleep," she yawned as if to prove her point. "We have to be at the airport by five."

She settled more tightly against Castle as she weaved her leg in between his. He curled his arm around her, closing his eyes and falling asleep.

***CCC***

It was bitterly cold the next morning as Kate and the baby stood outside of the security checkpoint saying their goodbyes. Ari was unhappy at being awakened at this early hour and she was letting her displeasure be known by rubbing her eyes and screaming loudly. "You'd better go so that I can get her home and back to bed," she pulled Castle close. "Be careful. You know what to watch out for with her, Castle. I'll see you in a few days."

"I love you," he kissed her and then kissed Ariel, who was clearly very unhappy. "Daddy's going to miss you, sweet pea."

"Alexis, take care of your dad," Kate hugged her.

"I will," Alexis forced herself to smile. "Get video of gram babysitting and send it to me."

"I've already got the webcam set up," Kate grinned conspiratorially as Alexis grinned back. "Have fun with your mom. I mean that."

"Go," she shoved at Castle, "or you're going to miss your flight."

"I'll call you when we get to the hotel," he promised her. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She waved until she could no longer see either of them before turning back to Ari, who was furiously rubbing her small face with a chubby fist. "I know, chunky monkey. You're tired, so let's go home and put you back to bed. We're going to be without daddy and sissy for a few days."

Kate walked out of the airport into the frigid air. After buckling Ari into her car seat in the back seat of the Mercedes, she got behind the wheel and started the lonely drive toward home. Never had 72 hours seemed so long.

**A/N #3: Next we have Castle and Alexis in Paris, while Martha has her own adventures in babysitting with Ariel. Please read and review.**

**As usual, I'm on Twitter Caskett1960. The question of the hour being, what comes after 'Oh my god! You're proposing!' My guess is Castle asks, "What did you think I was about to do?" **


	15. Chapter 15--Revisiting Paris

**Disclaimers: If only.**

**Summary: Rick and Alexis revisit the scene where Alexis was held captive while Martha spends quality time with Ariel.**

Chapter 15: Revisiting Paris

It was a bitterly cold morning. Rick and Alexis were sitting in a small café down the street from the George V, where they were staying. Alexis was staring over her father's shoulder at the cold gray Paris street outside of their window. "Did I tell you that I talked to Sara?" She took a sip of her café au lait. Castle knew that she was of course talking about the other young woman who'd been kidnapped with her.

"Really? How is she?"

"She sounded really good. She's getting married next summer."

"Wow, that's great."

"How come she can move on and I can't?"

"Trauma affects different people in different ways, Alexis. I think this is going to help. I think it's going to help us both."

"Can I ask you a question?" Her father nodded. "Has Kate ever thought of going back to that house? The one where Josh held her?"

"I know the one that you're talking about. We don't talk about that, Alexis. You know that."

"Well, doesn't that make her something of a hypocrite?" She stopped Rick before he could object. "She thinks that it's a good idea for me to come to Paris and torture myself, but she isn't willing to do the same thing."

"Alexis, are you angry with Kate?"

"No. I'm angry at _both _of you. Right now I'm just angry at everybody. I don't want to be here!"

"Alexis, listen to me. Please? Let's forget the bad memories of Paris for a few minutes, okay? What do you remember from the very first time you ever came here?"

"Seeing the Eiffel Tower. But, when I called you that morning and you told me to run, when I ran out on that roof, that was the first thing that I saw. I didn't understand how I could be looking at the Eiffel Tower when I didn't even remember getting on a plane."

"They drugged you. Both you and Sara. They said that you were both being brought to Paris for transplants. That got you through customs and to that office building without any questions being asked. It was all very carefully thought out. What else to you remember about the first time your mother brought you here?"

"The Arc de Triomphe. I remember thinking that it was huge. Mom took me to Chanel," she smiled for the first time since they'd arrived in Paris. "I think that I was the only girl in my first grade class to wear a dress to school from the House of Chanel."

"I was so angry when I saw that dress. I remember telling your mother that she had no idea how dirty a six-year-old could get during a regular school day. You should've seen the look on the man from the dry cleaner's face when I took it in to be cleaned. He must've thought you were the most spoiled kid on the planet."

"Can I ask you something? Do you ever wish that mom had stuck around so that you could've raised me together? I know that you're happy that Kate's in the picture with Ariel."

"Pumpkin, even if your mother had stuck around for another year, maybe two, in the end the results would've been the same. Some people aren't meant to be parents, and your mother just happens to be one of those people. She's great at being your friend, but I can't imagine her having to deal with some of the stuff I've dealt with over the years. I haven't even handled some of that stuff the way that I should have."

"No, but it's still been fun," Alexis continued smiling. "Well, sitting here isn't going to get us any closer to our destination. I guess that we should probably get going."

Castle knew the signs of panic from two years of dealing with Kate. This was one reason why he wasn't anxious to talk about what Josh Davidson had done to her the summer before Ariel was born. Kate was making great strides in keeping things under control. He had no desire to return to panic attacks, flashbacks, and recurring nightmares.

He'd rented a car and they drove to their first destination. Alexis had managed to unlock the door to the room where she and her friend Sara were being held. She'd then found a phone and called her father on Skype after a call to 9-1-1 failed to go through. He looked at her as they sat in the car staring at the building. "The gendarmes have already spoken to the owner of the building. He's going to meet us in the lobby and allow us to go upstairs. Are you ready?"

"I think so," she looked pale, but under control.

They got out of the car and into the building where the owner of the building approached them. "Monsieur Castle? Mademoiselle Castle? I'm Monsieur LaSeurre, the owner of this property," the old man told them in perfect English.

"Thank you for allowing us to come here," Castle shook the man's hand. "We'll try to be as quick as we can."

Since Alexis wasn't sure which floor she'd escaped from, she was more than happy to let her father lead the way. They took a rickety elevator up to the 10th floor and stepped off. Alexis took several deep breaths after they stepped off of the elevator. "The room where we were held was down this way," she led the way down the hall and to the room where they'd found themselves. "It was freezing cold. I kept telling Sara that I knew that they weren't going to kill us because they kept us fed and reasonably well taken care of."

"Alexis, how'd you manage to get out?" Castle asked as he watched Alexis checking out the room.

"Sara had bobby pins in her hair. I used two of them to pick the lock. I told her that you'd taught me when you were doing research for one of your Derrick Storm books."

"Yeah, I did," he smiled at the memory. "I'm glad that knowledge came in handy."

"So am I. After I got the door unlocked, we both started to go the same way, but I told her that it was safer if we split up. I was hoping one of us could find help," they stepped out into the hall as she began to walk down the corridor. "Most of the doors were locked, but I found an opened office door and that's where I found the phone. I tried 9-1-1 first, but all I got was this weird tone. That was when I tried your number."

Castle remembered that call like it had happened yesterday. He'd been half-asleep when the call had come through on Skype. Seeing his beautiful daughter appear on his phone screen had been the most welcome sight ever. But he remembered how scared she'd sounded, how alone. He longed to beam himself up to her like a character on _'Star Trek.' _He just wanted to make everything better like he had when she was little and scraped her knee in the park.

"When I heard them looking for me and you told me to run, I dropped the phone and ran this way," she left the office where she'd found the phone and headed down one corridor and down another toward an exit. "I opened the door and I was on the roof."

They stepped onto the roof into air that felt like ice. Castle wrapped his coat tighter around him while he watched Alexis. He hadn't said anything other than to ask her a couple of questions. "When I saw the Eiffel Tower, I thought that I was in some kind of a nightmare. I ran over and looked down to the street. It was early, so there weren't too many people around. I screamed for help and that was when someone grabbed me."

"What happened after you were grabbed?"

"Uh, I don't remember," she turned to face him with tears running down her face. "I don't remember!"

Fighting back his own tears, he walked over and embraced her as tightly as he could. He could feel her shaking while she sobbed. "It's okay," he whispered into her hair. "You're doing great, sweetie. Let's get out of here and go back to the hotel."

***CCC***

"Have you heard from Richard?" Martha asked, watching as Kate finished getting ready to go to work.

"I had an email from him this morning. He said that they went to the office building where Alexis was originally held. He said that she held up pretty well. He said that they're going to go to the house he rescued her from later today. At least I guess it's today. The time difference has me all confused. In any case, he'll be home tomorrow. I have to go. I'll call you at lunchtime and I should be home by five."

"You don't have to worry about anything. Ariel and I had a perfectly wonderful time yesterday and the same will be said for today."

"Okay," Kate smiled, hugging her mother-in-law and kissing all over her daughter's smiling face. "Have fun with gram."

Ariel turned toward her grandmother and patted her face. "Did Richard ever tell you that Alexis did that same thing when she was a baby? The patting thing?"

"No, really? How funny," Kate smiled. "Have fun."

"Your daddy did it, too," Martha whispered to her granddaughter when the door closed. "You, my dear, are a true Rodgers. Or, as your father would put it, a true Castle."

"Dada!" Ariel cried out happily.

"Dada is in Paris with your sister. He'll be home tomorrow." Martha sat down on the sofa, settling Ariel on her lap before picking up a photo album and picking it up. "We're not about to watch those silly shows that your daddy has recorded for you. You're much too young to have your brain fried by TV. This is your daddy when he wasn't much older than you. You look exactly like him."

"Dada!" Ariel slapped at the page.

Martha reached over to the end table and picked up a framed picture of Rick, Kate, and the two girls that had been taken shortly after Ariel's birth. "Oh, sweet Ariel, you're such a lucky little girl to have a mommy and daddy who love each other so much. Your sissy didn't have that. Look at how happy they look."

Ariel struggled to turn herself around and pull herself to a standing position with her grandmother's help. "If you keep pulling yourself up like that, you're going to be walking before anybody knows it. Then we're really going to be in trouble around here, aren't we?"

***CCC***

"So, how is it going with Mrs. R. taking care of the baby?" Ryan asked, parking himself in Castle's empty chair.

"Well, I haven't found my daughter duct-taped in a closet, so I guess it's going okay," Kate laughed. "Give Martha a stack of soundtracks from musicals and she can keep Ari entertained for hours."

"Have you heard from Castle?"

"I got an email earlier this morning. They made it through the first part of the journey. He's going to take her to the house where she was rescued from sometime today. He'll be home late tomorrow. I can't wait to see him."

"Is he ever going to come back here?"

"I don't know, Ryan. I can't see him following me to crime scenes with our daughter in a sling. Someone would report me to DCFS."

"But, just think of what she could share for her first show and tell," Ryan teased.

"That's a frightening thought."

When Kate walked in the front door of the loft that evening, she could see how exhausted Martha was. "Why do I not remember Richard having that much energy?"

"I think it's because you were younger then," Kate smiled, walking over and sitting down.

"I couldn't even blink. One second she'd be here and then a second later she'd be over there. She's fast."

"I'm sorry," Kate tried to keep from laughing, but soon they were both laughing.

***CCC***

Rick and Alexis were sitting in the rental car in the driveway of the house where the rescue had taken place. They'd been unable to gain access to the inside, but had decided to come anyway. Alexis remembered being dragged by her father through the house, as her father literally bowled over men who were trying to kill them.

"It doesn't look as scary as I remember."

"Somehow bad things never do," he looked at her.

They got out and walked up to the house, peering in the windows. The interior of the house was now devoid of furniture or other decorations. Rick walked over and tried different doors and windows, but they were all securely locked. "Let's go meet mom for dinner," Alexis looked at her father.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I've seen everything that I need to see. Kate's right. They were just buildings."

"Do you feel better now that you came back?"

"I don't know. I guess time will tell."

They had dinner that night with Meredith at Maxim's. Rick was catching the red eye back to New York later that night. When he got back to the hotel, he Skyped Kate, even though he knew that it would be early in the morning in New York. He grinned when he saw her on his computer screen with Ariel. "Hi, Kate. Hi, sweet pea. She's up early."

"Tell me about it," Kate groaned. "How's Alexis?"

"I don't know. Parts of it were rough for both of us."

"I'm sure that it was. We miss you."

"I miss you two, also," his grin was huge.

"Ari, say 'hi' to dada," Kate tried to focus the baby's attention on the computer screen. "He'll be home this evening. Rick, I'm going to leave her with Martha when I come to the airport. They're forecasting snow flurries and I don't want to get her out in that."

"Kate, I can call for a car—"

"Not a chance," she argued. "You've been gone for three days and I'm not waiting one second longer to see you than I have to."

"I need to finish packing and say my goodbyes to Alexis before I leave. I'll see you later in the evening New York time. I love you."

"I love you, too."

When the connection ended, Rick finished packing his clothes and his computer before leaving his room and going to the suite Meredith and Alexis were sharing. "Thank you for coming with me," Alexis hugged her father tightly.

"You're very welcome, kiddo. Listen to me. Have a good time with your mother. Kate and I will meet you at the airport on the second. Enjoy New Year's, but don't enjoy it too much," he smiled at her. "I'll see you in a few days. I love you."

"I love you, too. Have a safe flight."

"You, too. Meredith, have fun and be careful," he kissed his ex-wife on the cheek.

"Be careful going home, Richard."

***CCC***

Kate was smiling broadly when she saw Castle walking toward her in the baggage claim area. He pulled her into his arms, lifting her off of the ground as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You better not be planning any trips for a while, because as much as I love homecomings, I hate putting you on a plane."

"I'm not planning any more trips anywhere without you and our daughter. God, I missed you," his lips crushed down on hers for a kiss that left her breathless and moaning into his mouth before they parted for air. "Let's go home before we get arrested for lewd and lascivious behavior."

"Yeah, I can see the headlines now. 'Writer and his Muse Busted for Having Sex in the Baggage Claim Area at JFK.' We'd never live it down."

"I thought you told me if I ever called you my muse again, you'd break both of my legs."

"Oh, that was before, Castle," she grinned at him.

"Before what?"

"Before you inspired me."

"Wait? Aren't I the one that should be inspired?"

"Take me home and I'll show you how inspired you make me," she kissed him again, her breath hot against his mouth.

"Please let my bags be the first one off," he kissed her once again as the world seemed to melt away around them.

**A/N #2: I'm saving the New Year's chapter for my M-rated follow up to this story. I just don't think that there's any way I can write a sanitized version of that one.**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960.**

**The S-6 spoilers are getting very interesting. 21 more days!**


	16. Chapter 16--Daddy Tales--Part Two

**Disclaimers: No, but its fun to dream.**

**Summary: It's time for more daddy tales as Kate has an extremely rough day. They also have their first Valentine's Day as new parents.**

Chapter 16: Daddy Tales – Part Two

_February_

When Rick woke up, it was still dark outside. He wasn't sure what had woke him up until he looked on Kate's side of the bed and saw her sitting on the edge, fingering the chain that held her mother's ring. "Hey," he sat up and moved over until he was sitting next to her. "Bad dream?"

She nodded as she wiped at her wet face. "My dad is so crazy about Ari. He's getting such a kick out of being a grandpa. But, it just feels like there's something missing. Every time she does something new I just want to pick up the phone and call her," she smiled through her tears. "I used to call her from school all of the time. She was the first person that I called when I made the dean's list."

"Are you sure that you want to do this alone today? I'd be happy to go with you and the baby."

"I know that you would. But, I'll be okay. It's important that I maintain tradition. This might be the only time that I take Ari until she's old enough to understand. But, there is something else that you can do for me," she turned to face him, taking his arms and placing them around her waist. "Can you make love to me?"

"That I can do," he kissed her before laying her down on the mattress.

Several hours later, Kate parked the Mercedes on the path closest to her mother's grave and shut off the motor. She glanced in the rear view mirror and smiled at Ari, who was dressed in a purple and white snowsuit. "Hey, chunky monkey," she called out to her, "are you ready to go and see grandma?"

She got out of the car and opened the passenger door, removing Ari from her car seat and walking the short distance to Johanna Beckett's grave. While it was a cold morning, the sun was shining brightly overhead. Kate knelt down in front of the headstone and placed Ari in front of her. Ari seemed fascinated by the gray stone and patted it with her mittened hands. "Happy birthday, mom," Kate smiled as she fought her tears. "This is Ari. Well, Ariel. I know that you see her every day, but I wanted to bring her with me today. I know that you're probably up there laughing to see me being a mom. I know that you've probably made her just like me. She's so smart, mom. She pulls up on everything. We all think she's going to be walking soon. And she likes to talk, like her father."

Kate smiled, thinking of Ari's vocabulary of about 10 words. The words 'dada, mama, no,' were clear, while she had variations of words that she used for Martha and Alexis, plus a few other words. "Rick and I argue about who she looks like. I think she looks like him, but he thinks that she looks like me. Dad thinks that she looks like Rick, but she acts like me. I don't know if that was a compliment or an insult. I really thought that this would get easier, but it doesn't. Marrying Rick made it a little easier. Having Ari also made it a little better. At least I'm not alone anymore. But I wish that you were here. I wish that you were here to tell me all of the things that I'm doing wrong. I miss you so much," she wiped at her face.

Ari turned toward her mother, puzzled by her mother's wet face. "Mama," she patted Kate's face as Kate couldn't help but smile and swept her small daughter into her arms.

"Oh Ari, I love you so much," she rocked her back and forth in her arms. "Let's take you home to daddy."

"Dada."

"Yes, dada. Mom, I love you. I'll give dad a huge kiss and a hug from you," Kate kissed her palm and placed it on the headstone.

Castle was in his office writing when he heard Kate come back into the loft. He walked out as Kate was taking Ariel from her snowsuit. He could tell that she was having a rough time with her emotions by her body language. He sat on the couch and took the baby from her. "I've got her. Are you okay?" He asked as she shook her head.

"Go take a walk or whatever you need to do. I've got her," he kissed her on the forehead.

She stood up and slipped her gloves back on before she left the loft once again. "How about a snack, sweet pea?" Castle nuzzled Ariel's cold cheek as she cooed and patted his face. He put her in her high chair before walking into the kitchen and getting the box of Cheerios. He came over and poured some on the high chair tray, smiling as he watched the baby pinch the small pieces between her thumb and forefinger, sticking it into her mouth.

He then went and got some grapes before sitting at the table and watching the baby enjoy her snack. At one point she offered him some. He remembered back to the days when Alexis was a baby and would share soggy bits of food with him. It was disgusting, but somehow sweet, at the same time. "Thank you," he smiled at her.

After she finished with her cereal, he removed her from her high chair and took her upstairs where he changed her diaper. Once downstairs, he fixed her a bottle of juice and walked over to sit in his recliner with her. "Mommy's feeling sad today," he breathed in Ariel's sweet baby scent as she sucked on her bottle. "Your grandma Johanna was a crusader. All that she ever cared about was the truth and making sure that justice was done. I know that she would've been just crazy about you. Your mommy misses her very much. I'm sure that she'll explain everything to you when you're a little bit older. She'll tell you all about how you were named after her. About how she named you

'Ariel,' because your grandma Johanna loved _The Tempest_. Your grandma is what brought me and your mommy closer together. She was so angry at first, Ariel, but I was able to make her see my charms," he smiled at the memories of those first couple of years.

After leaving the loft, Kate had gone to their usual coffee shop and bought a latte before walking across the street to their swings. She brushed snow off of her usual swing before sitting down. She took a long drink of her coffee as she gently moved the swing, scraping her foot on the ground. So many thoughts were swirling through her mind at the moment, nearly all of them tied up either in her mother, Castle, or her eight-month-old daughter.

Being a mother made her miss her mom more than ever. While she had no shortage of people to share Ari's various new accomplishments with, it made her heart ache not to be able to share them with the person she wanted to share them with the most. She wondered if she'd be the mom that Ari would want to come to with her problems. She wondered if she'd have to be the bad cop while Castle got to be the fun parent. She was already seeing instances of that. Castle didn't see anything wrong with Ari pulling all of the books off of the bottom shelf of his office bookshelf while Kate wanted her to learn not to bother things that weren't hers.

She pulled out her phone and hit the number for her dad. "Hi, dad," she said when he answered the phone.

"Katie, are you all right?"

"Yeah. No. I don't know. It's a rough day, but I guess I don't need to tell you that."

"No, you don't. Where are you?"

"I went to take a walk. I didn't get very far. I know that mom would hate seeing me like this. I've got a great husband and a beautiful baby. I should be happy."

"Katie, there are always going to be some days that are rougher than others. You know that. Go home and let Rick take care of you. Let him shoulder some of it for you."

She felt like asking her dad what he did when he felt the need for someone to 'shoulder' some of it, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. "Could we meet for dinner soon?"

"Of course. How's Ariel?"

"She's great," Kate smiled. "I took her with me this morning. It'll probably be the last time that I take her until she's older. Do you think mom would think that I'm doing a good job with her?"

"Katie, you're doing a wonderful job with her. I don't want you to ever doubt that. I think your mother would be very proud of how well you're doing."

"Thanks, dad."

"Now, go home and let my son-in-law take care of you."

"Okay. I'll talk to you soon."

When Kate walked back into the loft, she could hear Rick on the keyboard in his office. "Hey," he greeted her when she came around the back of his chair and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind.

"Where's Ari?"

"Taking a nap," he saved his document before standing up and drawing her close. "You're cold. Come on, I'm going to draw you a warm bath. Do you feel better after your walk?" 

"I called my dad," she allowed him to lead her into the bathroom. "He told me to come home and let you take care of me."

"Your father is a very smart man," he let his lips brush over hers. He turned on the taps and helped her to undress. "Relax and then meet me in the living room."

"You aren't staying?"

"You need alone time," he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "I'll be in the living room."

After soaking in the bath for a while where she shed some more tears, Kate finally got out and dried off before dressing in a pair of flannel pants and a shirt of Castle's. When she walked into the living room, Castle was sitting on the end of the sofa. She saw a tray with a pitcher of hot cocoa on the coffee table. "Wow, this is nice."

"Come over here," he patted the seat right next to him as she came over and sat down. He poured her a cup of cocoa before slipping his arm around her and pulling her closer into him. "So, what's on your mind? Besides the obvious, I mean." 

"I just have so many doubts, Castle. I know that I've been doing this for eight months, but I just wonder if I'm doing a good job."

"With Ariel?" He set his cup down before pulling her into his lap. "Kate, anybody who sees the two of you together could never doubt that you're doing a great job. She's happy, she's healthy, she's spoiled rotten," that got an eye roll from his wife. "You've managed to get through the past eight months without dropping her on her head or drowning her in the bathtub. You survived an ER visit and her first shots. I think that if your mom was here, she'd tell you that you're doing a great job."

"Thanks, Castle. I really needed to hear that today of all days. So, are you having as much fun the second time around?"

"In some ways I'm having more fun, because I have somebody to share it with this time. So, do you want to talk about doing it again?"

"What? Having another baby? Castle, Ari's eight months old. I just went back to work. Can we wait just a little while longer?"

"We'll wait as long as you want to," he kissed her as she melted into him.

***CCC***

_February 14_

"Kate, come on! We're going to be late!" Rick checked his watch, wondering what Kate could be upstairs explaining to Alexis that was so important. It wasn't like Alexis hadn't been left with Ariel before.

Upstairs, Kate was giving some last minute instructions to Alexis. "If she wakes up before we get back, you can give her some of the cough medicine in the refrigerator. She might wake up a little stuffy. She doesn't like the bulb thing, but—"

"Kate, it's okay. I've got it. I know that she has a cold, but the doctor said that she's better. If I have any problems, I'll call one of you guys or gram. Go and have a good time."

Kate was torn between spending Valentine's Day with her husband and being with Ari, who was getting over a bad cold. But Rick had made reservations weeks ago and she didn't want to hurt his feelings. "Okay. But, call—"

"I will. Go!" Alexis practically shooed her stepmother out of the room.

When they walked into Drago's, Rick's favorite hostess was quick to rush up to him and Kate. "Your favorite table is all ready for you, Mr. Castle," she said as she led them to a cozy table at the back of the restaurant.

"Thank you, Denise," he pulled Kate's chair out for her. He turned to Kate after she was out of earshot. "I know that you're worried about Ariel, but she's over the worst of the cold. Give her another day or two and she'll once again be our happy, giggling bundle of energy."

"I know. Am I going to be like this every time she gets sick?"

"Probably. I was the same way with Alexis. I still am. Remember how I got when she got mono?"

"Yeah, I remember," she reached across the table for his hand. "This is a big change from last Valentine's Day when I was huge."

"You weren't huge, _yet_," he corrected her. "That was later."

"Thanks a lot," she stopped talking when the waiter came over to take their drink order. "So, what did you get me?"

"What?" He attempted to look shocked. "I'm not enough?"

"Oh, you're more than enough," she bit her lip. "But, it _is _Valentine's Day."

"As it so happens, I did get you something," he pulled his free hand from his jacket pocket and handed her a small box.

As a rule, Kate didn't wear a lot of jewelry. The few pieces that she owned were gorgeous and saved for special occasions. Over the course of their courtship and marriage, Rick had gifted her with several exquisite pieces of jewelry. "Oh, Castle," she breathed when she opened the box and admired the diamond and sapphire earrings inside. "These are beautiful." She removed the teardrops that she was wearing and replaced them with the new earrings. "How do they look?"

"Amazing," he found it hard to breathe as he looked at her. She never failed to take his breath away even after all this time.

She stood up and leaned across the table as they shared a tender kiss. She then sat back down and handed her menu to him. "Order for me, Castle," she smiled.

He grinned at her before opening his menu. "So, what did you get me?"

Kate continued smiling as she watched Castle's face. He was such a romantic, very unusual in a man. For a long time he was much more romantic than she was. It had been hard for her to show her more romantic side to him. "I've lived in New York City almost my whole life and I had no idea that there were so many romantic things to do. I wanted to do something really special. There's a boat that goes down the Hudson. It leaves at sunset and takes about three hours. They serve a romantic dinner and they have a band with dancing. I got us two tickets for Saturday night."

"Wow," he breathed. "How long did it take you to find this?"

"Believe me, you don't want to know."

"It's not a drawer, but I love it."

She blushed at the memory of their first Valentine's Day. She still considered his drawer the most romantic gift she'd ever given him and it was clear that he felt the same way.

***CCC***

Kate woke up to the sound of Castle's voice coming through the baby monitor. She moved onto his side of the bed, smiling as she listened. "Ariel, I'm going to tell you how you can tell when you're really in love. Now, you don't need to really know this until you're at least 30. But, your sissy fell in love for the first time when she was six. Anyway, you'll know that you're really in love when all of the songs make sense. But when that special person gives you a drawer for you to keep your things when you stay with them that means I love you. And, when that special person surfs the Internet for weeks to find you just the right gift for Valentine's Day that tells you everything. When you get to be a young lady, I want you to find somebody who loves you as much as I love your mommy."

Kate wiped the tears from her face as she listened to the baby monitor. "I love you too, Castle," she whispered even though she knew he couldn't hear her.

Saturday night was more than Castle could've ever dreamed. Kate looked exquisite in a long red backless dress, her hair swept up on her head, with soft tendrils hanging down on either side of her face. He loved dancing with her as the boat moved slowly down the Hudson. They had eyes only for each other as they moved together on the large dance floor. She touched the side of his face as they shared several long tender kisses. "I love you," she breathed against his lips.

"I love you, too. Kate, this is the best gift ever," he kissed her neck.

"Better than a fake murder mystery?" She teased.

"Well, not quite. But, pretty damn close."

"It's going to get better once we get home," she kissed him again, sighing at the feeling of his hands wandering down her almost bare back.

Dancing with her, Rick couldn't help but continue to be amazed that this extraordinary, sexy, brave, smart woman was all his. That she loved him. The she kept on amazing him day after day.

**A/N #1: Now I don't know if they actually have something like a cruise that goes down The Hudson. In San Antonio we have river barges and at night some of the more popular restaurants serve dinners on these barges. So, I figured if we have something like that here, there's bound to be something similar in New York City. And men are so hard to buy gifts for on Valentine's Day.**


	17. Chapter 17--California Dreaming

**Disclaimers: If only.**

**Summary: Rick takes Kate and Ariel to Los Angeles with him for the second **_**Nikki Heat **_**movie. **

**A/N #1: This chapter is going to contain two firsts; the first airplane ride and first steps.**

Chapter 17: California Dreaming

_March_

When Kate walked into the loft on a windy March afternoon, she smiled at the sound of Ari's baby voice coming from Rick's office. She walked into the office where Ari was playing on her busy blanket while her father talked on the phone. "I know, Gina," he blew a kiss at Kate.

"Ma-ma, ma-ma," Ari rapidly crawled over and grabbed onto Kate's pants legs to pull herself to a standing position.

"Hi, baby girl," Kate bent over and scooped her up, kissing her chubby baby face as Ari patted her face. "Are you helping daddy make phone calls?"

"Okay, you said the 26th of March through to the 10th of April," Rick continued, making notes on his desk calendar. "So, is Natalie managing to stay sober? I'm not being nasty. I'm just asking. Fine."

Kate smiled, remembering hers' and Rick's trip to L.A. after Mike Royce's murder. Going to the set where _Heat Wave _was being filmed, they learned that the star, Natalie Rhodes, was in rehab. "Chunky Monkey, let's go find a snack," Kate rubbed her nose against Ari's, as the baby giggled in delight.

When Castle emerged from his office 15 minutes later, Kate was feeding the baby some applesauce. "What's going on?" She asked after he'd come over to kiss her.

"I have to fly to L.A. the middle of March. They want the screenplay for _Heat Rises_. I'd like to take you and Ariel with me. Can you get the time off?"

"Yeah, I can take off. How long?"

"Almost two weeks. It'll be her first plane ride," he smiled at his daughter, who had applesauce smeared all over her face. "Maybe we can take her to Disneyland."

"Castle, she won't remember Disneyland."

"Come on, we've got to get her picture taken with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck."

Kate just rolled her eyes. Her husband was such a Man-child, but it was one of the many things that she loved about him. "Okay, I'll give you Disneyland as long as you give me the Santa Monica Pier."

"You've got a deal, Mrs. Castle," he kissed her once again.

That night Kate sat in the rocker in the nursery holding Ari's warm baby softness in her lap. Ari was almost asleep, but not quite. Kate kept softly humming and singing as she felt the weight in her lap get heavier and heavier. As she rocked, she thought about all of the changes she'd seen in her daughter in the past nine and a half months. Her vocabulary seemed to increase constantly. She'd started standing unassisted for brief seconds. She was observant of people and surroundings. She loved all of the various people in her life and they all loved her.

Planting a kiss on top of her sleeping head, Kate got up and put Ari in her crib, covering her with her favorite blanket. She then walked downstairs to Rick's office, where he was working on his laptop. "Is she asleep?"

"Yeah," she looped her arms around his neck from behind. "How old was Alexis when she got on a plane for the first time?"

"Two months old," he turned to face her. "It was a nightmare. I forgot about the ear pressure. Let's just say that I think the other passengers were getting ready to issue us a parachute."

"Oh no," she groaned. "What do I do about that, Castle? I don't want to be one of those parents that I used to hate being around. You know the ones with the screaming kids."

"Nurse her during takeoff and landing. Or give her a bottle. Your choice."

In the last month Ari had only been nursing at her breast more as a form of comfort than for any nutritional reason. Kate missed those days of having her baby at her breast. That feeling of having her nuzzling against her, her tiny nose pressed up against her chest. "Should we pack her some baby snacks?"

"Definitely. She can't eat whatever they give us on the plane. We also have to take the car seat."

"I know that, Castle. I'm going to fix me some ice cream. Do you want some?"

"Of course. Chocolate with lots of whipped cream."

***CCC***

The next morning Castle was trying to dress his squirming octopus of a daughter to go visit Kate at the precinct. "Come on, sweet pea," he said as he tried to push her feet into her shoes. "Let's go see mama."

"Ma-ma," Ari parroted. "Ma-ma."

"Well, we'll go and see her as soon as you get your shoes on."

He finally got her shoes on before slipping her arms into a tiny sweater. "Bye," Ari waved her tiny hand as Castle laughed.

"Yeah, we're going 'bye' right now."

When he stepped off of the elevator at the precinct, Kate was nowhere to be seen. But he soon found himself mobbed by all of the detectives wanting to hold the smallest Castle. "Where's Kate?" Castle asked Espo.

"She's in the box with a murder suspect."

"Come on, Ariel, let's go see mama," Castle commandeered his daughter.

"Bro, is that really a good idea?" Espo followed his friend.

The man that Kate was questioning was the suspect in a particularly brutal murder. His wife had been found in the garage of their home, stabbed to death with a machete. Her hands and head had been almost severed. The couple had a long history of domestic abuse complaints.

"Steven, your neighbors have called the cops on you and Camille eight times. _Eight_! That's just the neighbors. Camille called the police herself another seven times. That's _15 _times, Steven!"

"I didn't kill her!"

"Steven, she was hacked to death with a machete! She was stabbed 12 times. That's crime of passion. Was she planning on leaving you? Did you find out about it? Just talk to me, Steven. Talk to me so that I can let the D.A. know what to charge you with."

"I'm telling you that I didn't kill her. I loved her."

From behind the one way mirror Kate froze. She could vaguely hear the chants of "Ma-ma, ma-ma" coming from behind the glass. 'Oh, he didn't,' she thought to herself. "Would you excuse me for just a second?"

Standing in the ob room, Ariel was beating on the one-way mirror with her small hands as Kate questioned the man inside. Suddenly, Castle saw Kate leap to her feet and quickly leave the room. Seconds later, she burst into the ob room. "Castle, what in the hell are you doing?"

"I came to take you to lunch," he replied innocently.

"Ma-ma, ma-ma," Ari held her arms out to her mother.

"Hi, chunky monkey," Kate took Ari from Castle and cuddled her. "Daddy shouldn't have let you listen to mommy talking to a _murder _suspect. Take her to my desk, Castle. I'll be done in a few minutes."

"Ma-ma!" Ari began to cry when she handed her back to Castle.

"Come on, sweet pea."

Castle walked back into the bullpen and over to Kate's desk, opening the bottom drawer where he knew that she kept some toys for the baby's frequent visits to the precinct. He found a stuffed rabbit and showed it to Ariel, who grabbed at it. "I understand that you're going to L.A.," Castle looked up to find Capt. Gates standing beside the desk.

"Yes, sir. I already got tickets for Disneyland and SeaWorld."

"Have you traveled on a plane with a baby before?"

"Yes, sir. I took Alexis on several plane rides when she was small. The first one was awful, but I learned pretty quickly."

"Have a good time. And, from now on, keep that child out of the ob room."

"Yes, sir. Wow, word gets around," he told the baby as she grabbed for his nose.

Kate came out a few minutes later and Castle took her to lunch at Remy's, where Ariel got her first taste of vanilla milkshake. By the noises she made, they assumed that she liked it. "Hey, you're too young to be making noises like that," Castle teased his infant daughter.

"Castle," Kate slapped at him.

"There is this place in Los Angeles at The Farmer's Market called Johnny Rocket's that has the most awesome milkshakes. We have to go while we're there."

"Are they more awesome than Remy's?" She asked skeptically.

"Almost. I can't wait to squire my two ladies around L.A.," he smiled.

"Well, we can't wait to be squired by you."

"Kate, I'm sorry about—"

"Castle, don't. We'll talk about it later. I don't want to talk about it now."

After lunch, Castle drove Kate back to the precinct. "I'll see you at home later," he kissed her before she got out of the car.

Kate looked in the backseat to where Ari was dozing off in her car seat, traces of vanilla ice cream around her mouth. "Be careful. I'll see you at home. I love you."

"I love you," he answered back.

After he walked into the loft, he took a face cloth and washed Ariel's face before putting her in her crib for a nap. He put her on her back, but Ariel immediately rolled onto her stomach, tucking her legs under her and sticking her little butt in the air and her thumb in her mouth. Castle thought it was the cutest thing ever.

By the time Kate walked through the loft at 5:45, Ari was awake from her nap and was the master of disaster. There were blocks, and various toys scattered all over the living room floor. In the middle of the mess were her husband and daughter, having the time of their lives. Castle was lying in the middle of the floor while Ari used him as a bridge to other parts of the room. "Are you having fun?"

"I don't know. Sometimes I think I'm getting too old for this," he grumbled.

"Oh, I don't know, Castle. You're not _that _old," she got down on the floor with the two of them.

"Ma-ma," Ari climbed up on her mother.

"You should've seen her, Kate. She stood up for like . . . 10 seconds and then she looks at me like she'd just discovered electricity or something."

"If I miss her first steps, you'd better get it on video for me," she warned him, as she lay on her back beside her husband and Ari took turns climbing over the both of them. "Hey, watch the knees, young lady!"

"Maybe she'll walk while we're in L.A.," he looked at her.

"I don't know, Castle. I think she's just testing the waters right now. I'm not sure she's quite ready to walk just yet. How old was Alexis?"

"Eleven months old. There was no stopping her after that. And there won't be any stopping this one, either, not if she's anything like her mama," he kissed her, laughing when he felt Ariel climbing up his chest and grabbing for his nose. "She doesn't like us kissing," he laughed.

"She's a typical kid," Kate laughed back.

"Give daddy a kiss," Castle instructed Ariel, who gave her father a sloppy, open mouth kiss. "We've got to teach this kid to pucker. Baby slobber is so unappetizing."

"I'm going to start dinner," Kate kissed Castle once more before getting off of the floor.

"So, did you nail him?" He asked, his gaze following Kate to the kitchen.

"He had cuts on his fingers and we found blood on the machete that belonged to him. So yeah, we nailed him. Castle, what were you thinking bringing Ari back there? She didn't need to see that part of my job."

"Kate, she's not going to remember it. But, you're right," he got up and scooped the baby up. "I won't do it again."

That night after putting the baby to bed, Kate went through her checklist of things to bring with them on their upcoming trip to L.A. while Castle was in his office writing. She'd gone online to see what she could and couldn't pack. She was dismayed to find that Ari was as subject to being screamed by TSA as she and Castle were. But that was the price to pay for living in a post 9/11 world. She and Castle had argued about paying for a ticket for Ari, which would require taking the car seat or just having Kate hold her on her lap. Kate decided that it was safer to buy a ticket and take the car seat. This also saved having to get a car seat for the rental car in L.A.

"What're you doing?" Castle asked, walking into the room and watching Kate pack more things into Ariel's very large diaper bag.

"I don't want to forget anything."

"Kate, they do have stores in L.A."

"I just don't want to forget something for the plane and have her screaming because I forgot something."

"Kate, relax," he walked over and put his hands on her shoulders. "Pack a bottle, a sippy cup, her favorite toys, her favorite blanket and enough diapers to get us to LAX. Think of it as one more thing to add to your resume as a new mom. If you can handle a coast to coast airplane ride, you can handle anything. The first day of school is a piece of cake compared to this."

"Don't make fun of me, Castle," she buried her face in his chest.

"Never," he kissed her neck.

***CCC***

Martha and Alexis gave them a ride to the airport early on the morning of the 26th. Instead of going in with them, they said their goodbyes at the curb. "You guys are going to have a great time," Alexis hugged her father and then Kate. "Try not to miss me too much."

"Alexis, I'm going to be gone for two weeks. We'll call you every day and we promise to send lots of pictures."

They all hugged one last time before they got back into the car and drove away. Castle checked their bags in at the curb since they already had their e-tickets. Kate carried the baby and the huge diaper bag while he handled the car seat and both of their carry-on bags. Fortunately none of them got flagged by TSA while going through security. Castle watched Ariel as she tried to take in all of the strange sights. While she'd been to the airport several times, this was the first time she'd ever been past the security checkpoint.

Once they got to the waiting area, Castle left their bags and the car seat with Kate before going in search of coffee for the two of them. "Grande skim latte with two pumps of sugar free vanilla for the lady," he came back moments later with the two Starbucks cups.

"Thank you," she sighed blissfully as she took a sip of the hot liquid.

"Down!" Ari demanded as she tried to squirm out of her mother's lap.

"Come on, sweet pea, let's walk around while mommy enjoys her coffee," Castle set the baby on the floor and held onto her hand as she walked on shaky baby legs beside him. "We'll be back."

After walking for a few steps, Ariel decided that the chairs were more interesting than walking with her father was. She banged on them, tried to crawl under them and tried to climb on top of them, but her legs were still too short. This made her mad and she voiced her disapproval. "Your legs will get longer soon, sweet pea," Castle assured her. "After all, you have tall parents. Genetics are on your side. Come on, let's go back to mommy."

The wonderful thing about getting on a plane with a small child was being able to be one of the first to board. When they walked into first class, Castle walked up to their seats and with the help of one of the flight attendants, was able to quickly click Ariel's car seat into place before Kate placed her into it and buckled her in. "My name's Naomi," the attendant smiled at them. "Let me know if you need anything, Mr. Castle."

"Thank you, I will," Rick smiled at her.

"We _both _will," Kate added, shooting daggers at her husband.

Kate opened up the diaper bag at her feet and took out Ari's favorite toy and a bottle of apple juice. Ari banged her hands excitedly at the sight of her rag doll. Kate couldn't help but notice the looks on some of the other first class passengers as they stepped onto the plane and took their seats. The look that said, 'Oh no, we're traveling with a baby.' "Who's mama's baby girl?" Kate grinned at Ari, who grinned back before patting her own chest. It was a game that they played often. "Who's daddy's baby girl?" Ari patted her chest again as Kate laughed. "You're so smart!"

Kate held onto the bottle of juice until right after the pilot made the announcements and they began to taxi down the runway. She then handed the bottle to Ari, who took it happily and popped it into her mouth. 'Please don't let her start screaming,' Kate prayed as the plane began its ascent into the heavens. But except for some whimpering around the nipple of the bottle, Ari handled the takeoff much better than Kate had expected her to. "She's going to be a pro," Castle smiled at her.

They had been lucky enough to find a non-stop from New York to Los Angeles, which saved the hassle of having to deplane and rush to another gate with the baby. Ari fell asleep midway through the flight and didn't awaken until shortly before they landed in L.A. They got off of the plane and headed for baggage claim and then the rental car kiosk. Ari found the baggage carousel fascinating, squealing and clapping her hands with every piece of luggage that came around. "Alexis tried to climb on it and ride it when she was about three," Castle warned his wife. "If I hadn't grabbed her, she would've disappeared into the great unknown."

Kate spotted Ari's stroller first and quickly grabbed it, opening it and plopping the baby into it as she saw their other bags. "I'll grab a cart," Castle told her. He came back moments later with a baggage cart. Kate loaded their bags, the diaper bag and the car seat onto it before Castle latched everything down. "Come on, let's go get our car."

After getting the car, Castle drove to the hotel where he and Kate had stayed the previous time they'd come to Los Angeles together. Kate smiled at him at the memory. The reason had been sad, but she'd gotten a little closer to Castle during the trip. One of the things that he'd said to her had stuck in her mind. _"You know what I thought when I first met you? That you were a mystery that I was never going to solve."_

"So, did you?" She looked at him as he pulled into the valet parking area.

"Did I what?" He looked confused.

"Solve the mystery that is me."

"No, but my life wouldn't be as much fun if I was able to figure you out," he grinned, handing the valet the keys as a bellhop exited the hotel and collected their bags while Kate took Ari from her car seat.

The suite was perfect. When Castle had made the reservation, he'd asked for and received a crib for the second bedroom. "Oh, a word of warning," he looked at Kate. "She probably won't sleep well tonight. So, the crib might end up in our room."

"When do you have to go to the studio?"

"Not until tomorrow morning. I thought that we could settle in tonight and just relax. Order room service and play with Ariel. And then," he walked over and pulled Kate into his arms, "after she's asleep, maybe mommy and daddy can play."

As she smiled into his bright blue eyes, Kate was reminded of that last night in L.A. She'd come so close to coming out of her room and going to him. But when she'd come out of her room, she found that he'd already gone to his own room, so the opportunity was lost.

After dinner, Kate bathed Ari before bringing her back into the living room where she and Castle got onto the floor with her and the toys they'd brought from home. But Ari's favorite toys were her parents. She loved using them like a mountain climber. "Hey, do I look like The Adirondacks to you?" Castle gently removed Ariel and stood her on her feet, making sure that she was balanced before he slowly let go of her hands. "Ariel, go see mama."

Kate held her breath as she held her arms out toward Ari, who was about five feet away. "Ari, look. I've got baby," she picked up the rag doll and held it out toward her. "Come get baby."

Ari looked from her mother toward the doll. "Ba!" She called out. For a brief second Kate thought she was going to crawl toward her, until suddenly she got bold and took a tentative step. Castle put his finger to his lips so that Kate's excitement wouldn't bubble over. That first step was followed by another and a third one before she lost her balance and sat down hard on her diapered butt.

"Ari, that was great!" Kate and Castle were jumping up and down in excitement while their small daughter stared at them as if they'd lost their minds. "Castle, we've got to get her to do it again so that we can send video to my dad, your mom, and Alexis!"

But as much as they tried, Ari had no interest in repeating her trick. At least not that night. Now that she was bathed and had played, she began to get cranky. "Okay, chunky monkey. Let's go to bed," Kate picked her up and handed her out to Castle who planted a good night kiss on her forehead.

***CCC***

When he woke up the next morning, Kate wasn't in bed. He walked out into the living room where he found Kate dozing on the couch with Ari against her chest. "Kate?" He gently shook her awake. "How long have you been up?"

"Been up? Are you kidding, Castle? You didn't hear the screaming?"

"Well, I heard screaming—"

"Not me!" She slapped at him. "And not _that _kind of screaming! I'm never having sex with you on vacation ever again. Ari woke up at one o'clock. I gave her a bottle and rocked her back to sleep. As soon as I put her back in her crib, the screaming started."

"It's probably jet lag and an unfamiliar environment. It might take her a day or two to get used to things."

"Castle, I've been on stakeouts that weren't as exhausting as this is."

"Why don't I take her and you go lie down for a couple of hours? We don't have to be at the studio until 11."

By the time Kate woke up a couple of hours later, both mom and baby were in a better mood. Since the weather was so much warmer, she dressed Ari in a sundress with a pair of sandals on her tiny feet. To be on the safe side, she stuck a sweater in the diaper bag.

When they got to the studio, they were met by the producer and the director of _Heat Rises. _"We like what you've done with the screenplay, Rick," the director told him.

"Why do I sense a 'but' coming?" Rick asked.

"Well, we were just wondering if you could possibly throw in another steamy scene? Women eat that romance shit up and men . . . well, men like seeing breasts and asses."

Kate just rolled her eyes. "Castle, Ari and I are going to walk around the set. We'll catch up with you after your, uh, meeting."

Kate walked around, meeting up with the two actors who played Raley and Ochoa, collectively known as 'Roach' in the books. "Wow, you and Mr. Castle have sure been busy," the actor playing Raley teased her.

"Det. Beckett?" Kate heard the familiar voice behind her. "They told me that Castle was going to be visiting the set, but I had no idea that you were joining him. Oh, is this Ashley?"

"Ariel," Kate corrected her. "How have you been?"

"Oh, I've been great. So, I guess the sex scenes in the books are based on real life experience now," Natalie Rhodes grinned.

Ari began to fuss, quietly at first, but then the whimpering turned into full-blown wailing. "She's trying to tell me that it's lunchtime," Kate forced an apologetic smile. "It was nice to see you, Natalie." 

"You, too."

Kate walked away, holding Ari as she dug in the diaper bag for the bag of snacks she'd stashed for her. "You sensed that mama didn't like that awful woman, didn't you? I'm thinking if I hung around her much longer, she'd make you part of her clone army. Come on, let's go and find daddy."

Castle found his two girls sitting on a bench. Ari chortled happily as she offered Castle a rather soggy teething cookie. "No thanks, sweetie. That is one thing I'll pass on."

"What's wrong, Castle? You're not in the mood to share soggy cookie with your daughter?"

"Most foods I don't have a problem with. Those things . . . no," he shook his head. "Are you ready for lunch?"

He found a small restaurant near the studio. Kate took out a jar of carrots and peaches to feed Ari while they waited for their own lunch. "I ran into Natalie. Ari's not a fan."

"Did she bite her?"

"Castle, I won't have our daughter biting anybody. No, she had an Oscar worthy fit. So, they want more sex? Do they think that you write porn?"

"Apparently. They just want an excuse for Nikki Heat to be naked."

"I think if Nikki's going to be naked, then Rook deserves equal time. He should be naked, too."

"I agree, but the studio will never go for it."

"That's because there's a double standard in Hollywood. It isn't fair. Do they think that we ladies don't want to see our leading men in all of their glory?"

"Uh, which leading men would you be talking about exactly?"

"Brad Pitt, Matt Damon—"

"You want to see Jason Bourne naked?"

Kate gave him a shy smile as their waiter brought their food to the table. "Its okay, Castle. You're the only naked man that I come home to."

"I should hope so," he said as he began to eat. "So, are you ready for Disneyland tomorrow?"

"I think you're the one who's ready for Disneyland. When did you take Alexis to Disneyland the first time?"

"She was three. I brought her out here because Meredith was filming an episode of 'Grey's Anatomy' and she wanted to see Alexis. Well, it ended up that Meredith was far too busy to spend time with her daughter, so to make up for my exes miserable failings as a mother and a human being, I took her to Disneyland and the San Diego Zoo."

"Did she like it?"

"Goofy scared the shit out of her," he smiled when he remembered. "We were walking and he just appeared out of nowhere."

"I can understand her terror. There's something kind of creepy about people walking around in giant animal costumes," Kate shuddered.

"Come on, Kate. Disneyland is magical."

"Castle, she's 10 months old. Do you really think she's going to remember a trip to Disneyland?"

"No, but you and I will. We'll remember how her eyes will light up when she sees all of the sights. We have to buy her Mickey Mouse ears. I still have Alexis'."

Kate knew that he wanted to create wonderful memories for her like the ones that he'd created for Alexis when she was small. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound so . . . I don't know. For the record, I think we're going to have a great time."

After lunch, they drove to Venice and dipped Ari's toes into the Pacific for the first time. The water was too cold to leave her in it for long, but it was warmer than what the Atlantic would be this time of year. Kate snapped video of Ari playing in the water with Castle and sent it to everybody. After playing in the water and then walking along the sidewalk among the bikers and people on rollerblades, they went back to the hotel where they all took naps.

Kate woke up and smiled into Castle's eyes. "Watching me sleep is creepy, Castle," she murmured, moving into his arms and kissing him. "Is Ari still asleep?"

"I think I heard her a few minutes ago. Maybe she'll entertain herself for 15 or 20 minutes," he waggled his eyebrows as Kate shook her head.

"I doubt it."

As if on cue, Ari let her parents know that she was awake. "I'll go get her and change her," Castle volunteered, getting out of bed and going to the spare room.

Kate got up and went to get a bottle of water. She was drinking it when Castle came out of the room with the baby. "Hi, chunky monkey," she reached her arms out for Ari, who went to them willingly.

She sat down with some of her toys and they began to play. Castle grabbed his camera and took some pictures. He could never have enough pictures of the two of them together. He already had hundreds on his computer and he knew he'd have hundreds more before this trip was over. He sat down and held his arms out toward Ariel. She stood up on shaky legs and took steps toward him as Castle quickly grabbed his camera and began snapping.

This time she seemed to like the fact that her legs could get her where she wanted to go. As soon as she reached Castle, he turned her and she walked toward Kate, who took video to send to Alexis, her father, and Martha. Her phone chimed moments later. **'She's walking and I'm missing it!' **Alexis texted.

"Alexis is disappointed," Kate told him.

"We'll buy her something at Disneyland."

Kate just rolled her eyes.

***CCC***

As predicted, Kate and Castle enjoyed both the trip to Disneyland and SeaWorld far more than Ari did. When Ari got her first look at Mickey Mouse, she erupted into ear splitting shrieks of terror. When they looked at the pictures later, Kate almost broke into tears at the sight of her tiny daughter screaming hysterically with a giant mouse at her side. Even Kate holding her for the picture didn't ease her fears. "I can see her in Burke's office, Castle," Kate wiped at her eyes.

"Oh, and what is she saying?"

"She's going to be sitting in his chair with her doll in one hand and her sippy cup in the other. She's going to say 'My mother made me get my picture taken with a giant mouse.'" She glared at Castle, who was almost falling off of the sofa with laughter. "It's not funny, Castle!"

"Okay, I have to ask. Where does your phobia of people in animal costumes stem from?"

"What're you talking about?"

"Come on, Kate. You said it yourself the other day. That people who dress in giant animal costumes is creepy. There's got to be a story. So, enlighten me."

"Why? So that you can blow it out of proportion?"

"No. I just want to understand. I'm not making fun, Kate. I promise."

"When I was five, I got invited to a neighbor kids' birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese Pizza. I remember walking in with my mother and there was this giant _rat_ standing at the entrance. I had nightmares for months. What in the hell kind of a mascot is a giant rat?"

"I don't know," he reached for her as she cuddled into his shoulder. "Except for Goofy when she was three, Alexis never had any fear of any of those franchise mascots. Were you also scared of Santa Claus and The Easter Bunny at the mall?"

"The Easter Bunny was terrifying. I remember telling my mother that I didn't like Peter the Rabbit."

"You make grown men whimper in fear in interrogation and you're scared of the Easter Rabbit at the mall?"

"Not anymore, silly," she slapped his chest. "If he scared me now, I'd just take out my Glock and shoot him."

"Now, that's scary."

Their last full day in L.A. was spent at the Santa Monica Pier, where they walked the boardwalk and took Ari on the Ferris Wheel. They stayed long enough to watch the sun set before going back to the hotel. "This was a nice trip," Kate sighed sleepily after she'd put Ari to bed that night. "So, were they happy with your revised screenplay?"

"Yes, although they disagreed with Rook being naked, too."

"I'm telling you, Castle. Double standard."

***CCC***

When they stepped out of the airport late the next afternoon with their luggage, Alexis and Martha were waiting for them. "Richard, Katherine!" Martha ran up and greeted them, taking Ariel from her mother's arms.

"Hi, daddy," Alexis kissed and hugged her father before turning to Kate. "Hi, Kate. How was the flight?"

"Long," Kate sighed. "Ari didn't do quite as well this time. I think the passengers were about to toss us out of the emergency exit. I think she's cutting some new teeth. She's been kind of cranky the last couple of days."

"She's grown," Alexis commented after she took the baby from her grandmother.

"As wonderful as this curbside reunion is, let's get home," Castle told his girls.

Once they got home, Ariel demonstrated her new walking prowess to her sister and grandmother as they clapped and fussed over her. Ariel ate up the attention. Watching her, Kate couldn't help thinking that as wonderful as going away with Castle was, there was something great about coming home to family.

**A/N #2: The Peter the Rabbit thing is something that my unmuses's niece told her mother after a visit to the mall to see the Easter Bunny when she was three or four. She ran in terror and later told her mother that she didn't 'like Peter the Rabbit.' It's been a running joke in our house ever since.**

**A/N #3: For the record, Johnny Rockets at The Farmer's Market in Los Angeles=awesome milkshakes. I wasn't making that up. I went there on my first trip to L.A. **

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960**


	18. Chapter 18--How do You Know

**Disclaimers: I wish, because my life wouldn't suck as badly as it does if I did.**

**Summary: More Alexis and Kate time. **

**A/N #1: I've always had fun with Kate and Alexis time in the past, so I'm going to see where this chapter takes me.**

**A/N #2: With this story and my other story in progress called 'That is True Love,' I'm giving a small preview of where I'm headed in the future. Not quite yet, but soon.**

**A/N #3: Am I introducing a new character? Possibly.**

Chapter 18: How do You Know If He's Your One and Done?

"So, I've read a bunch of your dad's books. How does it feel to have a best-selling author for a dad?" The young man sitting at the table across from Alexis asked.

"I don't know. I've never known a time when he wasn't a best-selling author, so I don't have anything to compare it to. What does your father do?"

"He's a currency trader. His job is actually kind of dull. So, what about your mom? Tell me about her," the young man encouraged her.

Alexis frowned. Did she really want to tell him about Meredith? "Well, my birth mom is an actress. I only see her a few times a year. My dad was married the second time when I was small, but they didn't stay married very long. He was single for a long time after that, but he got married for the third time almost two years ago."

"So, do you like your stepmother?"

"I adore her, but I don't consider Kate my stepmother. I've known her since I was 15, so she's kind of been more of a mom to me than Meredith, my birth mother. Plus, she made me a big sister 11 months ago, so that was a big plus in my book."

"If I'd known you wanted to be a big sister, I would've loaned you one of my siblings," he said as he laughed. "So, do you have a little sister or a little brother?"

"A little sister. Her name's Ariel. Here's a picture of her," she took out her phone and showed him her screensaver which had a picture of her, Ariel, and Kate that her dad had taken.

"That's your stepmom? Wow. What does she do?"

"She's a homicide detective."

"She looks like that and she's a homicide detective?" Alexis laughed at him. "How did she meet your dad?"

"Some psycho was killing people based on plots in some of my dad's old books. He helped her with the case and then he decided to base a new character on her," she glanced at her phone. "I need to go. I have a psych class in 20 minutes."

"I'll walk you to class," he got up and walked around to pull her chair out for her.

***CCC***

At the 12th Precinct, Kate was busy updating the murder board when her cell phone rang. She smiled when she saw Alexis' smiling face come up. "Hi, Alexis. What's up?"

"I was wondering if I could come over one day next week. There's something that I could really use your advice about."

"Your dad won't do?"

"I need girl advice. Dad definitely _won't _do."

"How about Monday afternoon? I could send your dad to the park with Ari so we could have some alone time. I should get home around 5:30. You could come by and then we could all have dinner."

"That sounds great. Thanks, Kate."

"You're welcome, sweetie."

Lanie and Kate had lunch at Remy's an hour later. Kate told her best friend about her conversation with Alexis. "You don't think that she's in trouble, do you?"

"No, it didn't sound like that kind of a call. In fact, she sounded happier than I've heard her in a long time."

"You do know if you tell Writer-Man that she wants to talk to you, he's going to spin out of control."

"I watch him with Ari in the park when there are other little boys and I can almost see him going home and shopping for shotguns on the Internet. Apparently its something that only fathers of daughters understand."

"How do you mean?"

"I complained to my dad about it and he actually defended Castle."

"Well, I can't say that I blame Castle. After all, he has two drop-dead gorgeous little girls. I'm surprised he hasn't hired armed escorts for Alexis, especially after Paris."

"Don't think that he hasn't considered it."

Later that night, Kate was reading in bed waiting for Castle to join her. At the moment he was in the bathroom brushing his teeth. "So, she didn't say what she wanted to talk to you about?" He turned off the bathroom light and got into bed beside his wife.

"Castle, for the third time, no. She sounded happy. Hell, she sounded excited. It was nice to hear her sound so . . . happy. She sounded like she did before Paris."

Kate closed her tablet and put it on her night stand before she turned toward Castle. "What?" He grinned at her.

"Castle, I want to make another baby."

"Now?"

"Well, I'd like to start trying. I want to have at least the first two close together."

"The first two? How many do you want to have?"

"I thought we were going to have a dozen," she teased. "Have you forgotten your wedding vows already? I'd like at least three."

"Let's make it an even four. I don't want somebody being singled out."

"Four, then," she kissed him, reaching down to fondle him through his boxers.

Kate missed that joy of carrying Castle's baby inside of her. She missed the feeling of a tiny mouth at her breast, small eyes gazing up at her with such pure love. She even almost missed the morning sickness. She loved listening to baby laughter, and sloppy kisses. She loved the little games that she and Castle played with Ari. She wanted to repeat that process as many times as she could. But she really longed to give Castle a son.

***CCC***

Castle reluctantly agreed to take Ariel to the park before Alexis got to the loft. The young redhead arrived moments after her dad had left. "Alexis, hi," Kate greeted her when she walked into the apartment. "You just missed your dad, but I can't guarantee how long he's going to be gone. The curiosity is killing him."

"Kate, how did you know when you met the one?"

"Okay, first off, why don't you sit and tell me what's going on?"

"He's in my Criminal Justice class. His name is Brian Abernathy. I didn't even pay much attention to him, at first. But then we had to partner up for a project and we started talking. He's the first person that I felt like talking about Paris with. He's just really easy to talk to."

"Easy to talk to is good. Have you gone out with him?"

"Just for coffee and lunch. We haven't actually dated. How did you know that my dad was the one? Or was there one that was the one before my dad?"

"There was someone before your dad. His name was Will Sorenson. For a while I thought that he was going to be my one and done. But his career was more important than I was. After that, I wasn't too serious about anybody for a very long time. As you know with your dad, I tried to ignore things for a long time. The night of your high school graduation I almost died. As I was hanging from a rooftop, all I could think about was your dad and how much time we'd wasted. After I got rescued, I decided that I didn't want to waste another second."

"But did you know before that night that he was the one?"

"Yeah, I'd known for a long time that he was the one. But then I got shot and things got . . . weird for a long time. So, what do you feel when you think about Brian?"

Alexis smiled as she looked at Kate. "I feel funny inside. I think about him all of the time. I haven't felt this way since Ashley, and I didn't even feel this way when I was with him."

"Well, you do know what the litmus test is going to be, don't you? You need for your dad to meet him."

"Are you kidding? Have you met my dad?" Alexis asked as Kate laughed. "Can't you meet him first? I know that if you like him, you can help ease dad into it."

"But, what if I don't like him, Alexis? I know that how your dad and I feel isn't going to change your mind about Brian. After you, you're a young woman now. You have to make your own decisions. But I can tell you from personal experience that if your parents don't like the boy, or in this case, the man that you're seeing it can make things a living hell."

"Kate, I really, really like him."

"Then why don't we get together for lunch Friday afternoon? I promise to give you my honest opinion of him. And if I like him, then we'll make a date for him to meet your dad and grandmother."

"And your dad? After all, he's family, too," Alexis reminded her.

"Do you want me to invite the boys, Lanie, and Capt. Gates, as well? That way we can give Brian the whole extended family experience," Kate teased.

"Let's not overwhelm him with family just yet," Alexis made a face.

***CCC***

Across the street at the park, Castle was pushing Ariel in a baby swing as the baby chattered excitedly. "I remember once when your sister only came to me with her problems," he told her as he pushed her. "Now she only wants to talk to your mommy. I feel so left out."

Ariel only giggled and kicked her legs. The way his small daughter was smiling at him reminded him so much of Kate. He couldn't believe that she was already ready to have another baby. The thought made him warm and tingly inside. He knew that there were times when Alexis was growing up that she had to have been very lonely. Sure, she had him, but he always thought that it would've been great if she'd had brothers and sisters. Somebody closer to her own age. It was great that Ariel was never going to experience that loneliness.

"Did I ever tell you about the day that I found out about you?" Castle stopped the swing and lifted Ariel from it before walking over and sitting on a nearby bench. "Mommy had gone to work, but I had a meeting with my publisher. When I came out of the meeting, Capt. Gates had left me a message saying that mommy had fainted at work and was at the hospital. I got there so fast, Ariel. I was so scared. I thought that something terrible was wrong with your mommy. When I got there, this mean nurse told me where mommy was, but they wouldn't let me go in. Finally, they let me go in and I almost cried when I saw mommy lying on that gurney. She had cut her head and she had a big bandage on it. When I went over to her, she just put her hands on my face like this," he demonstrated by placing his hands on Ariel's chubby cheeks, "and she said, 'Castle, we're pregnant.' And that's how I found out about you. I don't even remember leaving the hospital. Those were the three most magical words that I've ever heard your mommy say."

Ariel just stared at him with her huge blue eyes. Then she gave him that huge smile again, Kate's smile. "How about an ice cream? Because I know it's probably still too early to go home."

When Castle walked into the loft an hour later, Kate just rolled her eyes at the sight of her daughter covered in vanilla ice cream. "Castle, I can't believe that you gave her ice cream. She has to get ready for bed soon and she hasn't even had dinner, yet."

"I wasn't sure if it was safe to come home, yet. Hi, pumpkin," he greeted his older daughter with a kiss.

"Why don't you order pizza or something while I get her fed and ready for bed?" Kate took Ari from him. "Look at you, you're a mess."

Because Alexis was visiting, Ari fought bedtime. Even playing with her older sister while furiously rubbing her face, she refused to give up the fight. Kate had resigned herself to the fact that some nights were like this. "So, what did you and Kate talk about?" Castle asked.

"Just stuff," Alexis answered vaguely, pulling Ariel into her lap and stroking her tangled curls.

"Boy stuff?"

Kate bit back a smile. Her husband was like a dog with a bone. He just couldn't let it go. "Dad, I'm 21 years old. I don't talk about _boys, _anymore."

"Come on, Alexis, you can help me put Ari to bed. Otherwise, your dad will just sit down here and grill you while I'm gone."

"Are you saying that I'm nosy?"

"If the shoe fits, Castle," Kate said over her shoulder.

After Ari was asleep, Kate volunteered to drive Alexis back to her dorm. Neither parent liked her taking a taxi at night and she knew that if Castle drove her home, he'd interrogate her as if she was one of Kate's murder suspects. "What're you going to tell dad if he keeps asking what we talked about?" Alexis asked.

"Alexis, if there's one thing I've learned over the years of working with your father, its how to handle him. Don't worry. I'll tell him as much as he needs to know for right now. Let me know if Brian is free on Friday. Be careful," Kate warned as she let Alexis off in front of the dorm.

"I will. Thanks for talking to me, Kate."

"Anytime, sweetie. You know that."

Castle was in his office when Kate came back in a short time later. "So, who's the boy?" He asked when she came in and sat in the chair next to his desk.

"Castle, you're so suspicious! How do you even know that there's a boy?"

"Because she's a girl and believe me, where there's a girl, there's always a boy involved somewhere."

"Castle, promise me that you won't freak out."

He stopped typing and looked at Kate, his eyes wary. "Is she in trouble?"

"No, nothing like that," she quickly assured him. "Castle, I think that she's in love."

"She's been in love before—"

"Castle, that was teenage girl stuff. The crushes that we girls have when we think that we're in love. She was asking me about how I knew you were the one. I know that she's young, but the way that she talks, this might be her one."

"I want to meet—"

"Slow down, dad! She's not ready for you to meet him, yet. She's not ready for you to start acting like a father and getting all overprotective and judgmental. I'm going to meet them for lunch on Friday."

"You?"

"Yes, me. If he passes muster with me, then I'll make dinner plans so that he can meet you, Martha, and my dad." She couldn't help noticing that he looked slightly . . . no, make that extremely hurt. "Castle, what's wrong?"

"She used to come to me with this stuff, Kate. I mean, I love that she feels comfortable enough to go to you with stuff, but I used to be her go-to guy."

"Castle, she used to go to you because she didn't have anybody else. She couldn't go to her mother and while your mother is a wonderful woman, she doesn't understand today's young people. What do you want me to tell her? 'Don't talk to me about anything because it hurts your dads' feelings?' You have to remember that you're not alone in this anymore, Rick. I've already told her that if I don't like this young man, she's going to be the first to know it. But, I also told her that no matter how we feel, we won't stop her from seeing him. She's a woman now, Rick, and she has to make a woman's decisions, no matter how much those decisions might hurt. Or how much you and I might not like those decisions."

"This was just so much easier when she was six," he rubbed his face.

"I know," she walked over and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "Take me to bed, Castle."

***CCC***

Alexis and Brian were already seated at their table in the restaurant when Kate walked in. "Hi, sweetie," Kate hugged Alexis before she looked at Brian and held her hand out. "Hi, I'm Kate Beckett."

"Brian Abernathy. I've heard a lot about you," he stood up and shook Kate's hand firmly before coming around and pulling her chair out for her as she sat down.

'One point for manners,' Kate thought as she moved her chair forward.

"So, am I under review?" Brian glanced across the table at Alexis as Kate watched the two of them.

"Sort of," Alexis' blush was the same color as her hair.

"So, what's your major?" Kate asked Brian, taking the menu that the waiter brought over to her.

"I'm pre-law. I've always liked the law since I was a kid. I like to talk and I'm argumentative, so my mother told me that I'd make a good lawyer."

"That's true," Kate laughed. "My mom was a lawyer and my father's one. I headed in that direction at one time, too."

"Why'd you change?"

"Uh, Brian—" Alexis shook her head at him.

"No, it's okay. My mom was murdered, so I switched to criminal justice. So, what about your parents? What do they do?"

"My father is a currency trader on Wall Street, and my mother teaches American Literature at Hudson University. I have an older brother, and a younger brother and sister."

As they ate lunch, Kate observed Alexis and Brian. She couldn't help but notice that Brian looked at Alexis the way that Castle often looked at her. He hung on her every word like Alexis' words were life giving oxygen. Midway through lunch Brian had to leave to get to class. "It was nice to meet you, Brian," Kate shook his hand once again.

"You, too. I'll see you later, Alexis," he bent down and softly kissed her as Kate smiled.

"Well?" Alexis turned to Kate as soon as Brian had left the restaurant. "Do you like him?"

"He's very nice and he's very respectful toward you," Kate told the young woman. "My only concern, Alexis, is you're 21 years old. He's the first person that you've really felt this strongly about."

"Kate, I was with Ashley—"

"Ashley was also a high school boyfriend. I know that you probably did love him very much, but the love that you feel for a high school boyfriend is different than what you feel for the first man that you fall for. My only advice is not to rush in. I also think that your dad should meet him. Oh, and keep in mind that the best sex is safe sex."

"Kate, about that . . . how will I know?"

"Believe me, you'll know when the time is right," Kate smiled at her.

***CCC***

Kate unlocked the loft door and smiled when she heard the delightful sound of baby laughter. She walked in and smiled at Castle chasing after their now very fast daughter. Since discovering her sea legs a couple of short weeks before, Ari ran everywhere. And she ran fast. She ran headlong into her mother, who scooped her into her arms. "Hi, chunky monkey! Are you wearing daddy out again?"

"No!" Ari squirmed to get down.

"Wow, we've got that word down pat, don't we?" Kate kissed all over Ari's face.

"So, did you like him? Or should I buy a shotgun?"

"He's a very nice young man. He's majoring in pre-law, so he'll be able to support her," she teased.

"Not funny, Beckett," he reached out his arms to Ariel, who jumped into them.

"I told her to take things slowly. After all, she's still only 21 years old. She has plenty of time to fall in love."

"Have I ever told you how smart you are?" He wrapped his free arm around her and pulled her close.

"I know. That's why he's coming to dinner next Saturday night," she kissed him. "But he looks at her like you look at me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I see you, Castle. I watch you when we're at those crazy book signings or launch parties. You look at me like I'm the only woman in the room."

"That's because as far as I'm concerned, you are," he kissed her.

They both laughed when they heard Ari blowing raspberries. "She doesn't like us kissing," Kate laughed.

"Hey, are we going to go to the Hamptons for her first birthday or do you want to have it here?"

"We'd have more room at the Hamptons. I can't believe that she's going to be a year old in less than a month, Castle. It seems like just yesterday she was this little six pound bundle of tiny baby."

"Baby!" Ari shouted out.

"Yes, you are my baby," Kate took her back from her father. "But, you used to be so tiny. Remember when you'd hold her, Castle, and you could barely see her?"

"I might buy her a pony," Castle announced as Kate glared at him. "Come on, every little girl wants a pony. You told me so yourself, remember? I'm only buying her a pony to keep her from buying a motorcycle."

"Castle, she's going to be a year old. I don't see a motorcycle in her future for a very long time."

Kate had kept her motorcycle and she still rode it on occasion, much to Castle's horror. He hated the bike. His excuse was he worried for her safety. She knew that the deeper reason had to do with Josh and also the fear that she'd teach Alexis to ride the bike.

***CCC***

"So, did she like me?"

"Yeah, she did. She wants us to come to dinner next Saturday night so that you can meet my dad and grandmother. Probably her father, too. Prepare to be grilled. This is not an easy audience."

"I think I can stand my ground. So, I was thinking," Brian looked at Alexis. "Since I'm going to meet your family next Saturday night, would you like to come to my house for dinner on Friday?"

"Yeah, I'd like that," Alexis smiled.

The thing that immediately struck Alexis about Brian's family was they were _loud_. She was used to spending time with her friends or with her dad, Kate, and the baby. None of those people were what Alexis would describe as loud. Brian's family was a boisterous bunch. But, they were sure to include Alexis in their rather loud conversation around the dinner table. "It must've been great growing up an only child," Brian's 17-year-old sister, Olivia, said.

"Sometimes it was. Other times it was lonely."

"Olivia's the youngest and the only girl," Brian pointed out to Alexis. "So, she gets tired of being overprotected by older brothers."

"I hate bringing my boyfriend around. Between my dad and my brothers, they never stand a chance," Olivia rolled her eyes.

"I know that feeling. My dad's the same way. That's why I wanted his wife to meet your brother first."

"You mean your stepmom?" 19-year-old Jason asked.

"I don't think of Kate as my stepmom."

"So, I understand that your father is a writer," Mr. Abernathy finally got a word in edgewise. "Has he written anything that I might've read?"

"He wrote a series about Derrick Storm. His current character is Nikki Heat," Alexis said.

"I've read Derrick Storm. What about your mother? What does she do?"

"She's an actress," Alexis said in a small voice. Why did she have to make it sound like she was ashamed of her mother? She wasn't, although Meredith was not your conventional mom. But nobody in her family was exactly conventional. "She lives in L.A."

After dinner, Brian led Alexis out to the back patio of their home. "I'm sorry if the noise level was a little—"

"Ear splitting?" Alexis finished his sentence for him.

"That's one way to put it. You should hear it during the holidays when my brother Peter is here with his wife and two kids. You can't hear yourself think."

"I should probably warn you about my dad," Alexis looked at him. "He has a twisted sense of humor. I got invited to the prom when I was a freshman in high school. He tried to show up to meet my date with a severed head in his hand. Not a real head, of course, but it was still pretty gross. Plus he was wearing a blood-spattered lab coat."

"My brother Peter works for the FBI. When Olivia went on her first date, Peter ran a full background check on the boys' whole family. So, your family doesn't hold the monopoly on being overprotective."

"I should get back to the dorm. My dad calls me at 10 and if he knows I'm not home he'll start looking for me."

"Is it because of what happened to you?"

"Partly, but mostly because that's just the way that he is."

Brian drove her back to the dorm and walked her to the door. "So, what time should I pick you up to go to your place tomorrow night?"

"Six?" She looked at him.

"Six, it is," he bent his head down and kissed her. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay," she smiled, before unlocking the main door of the dorm and walking inside. She was still smiling when she entered her dorm room and locked the door behind her when she walked inside.

***CCC***

"So, can I give this boy the whole 'if you hurt my daughter, I'll kill you' speech?" Castle asked as he put on a tie.

"Castle, will you at least meet him before you start hating him? Trust me, he's a very nice young _man_. He's not a _boy_. Now, finish getting dressed," she walked over and kissed him. "I'm going to finish dressing the baby and then I'm going to check on dinner."

"This _man _had better be worth prime rib!" He called out after her.

Kate went upstairs to where she'd placed her daughter in her playpen with a bunch of toys so that they could get dressed for dinner. Ari smiled and held her arms out when her mother entered the room. "Come on, chunky monkey. Let's get dressed for Alexis and her friend."

Kate dressed Ari in a frilly pink and white dress, tiny white socks and what had to be the cutest pair of patent leather shoes Kate had ever seen. She then brushed her silky curls and tied a tiny pink ribbon into it. "You are so cute," Kate kissed Ari's face all over as the baby giggled. "Let's see if daddy is ready so that he can come up here and get your holding cell."

Martha and Jim arrived before Alexis and her date. They took turns fussing over Ariel, who ate up the attention. "We're going to have her birthday in the Hamptons," Kate told them from the kitchen. "But could one of you please talk Castle out of getting her a pony?"

"Hey, I told you the pony is to stop her from buying a motorcycle when she's 16," Castle came out of the bedroom. Kate smiled at him. He was dressed in a dark suit and shirt, with a white tie.

"So, Katie told you that story, did she?" Jim smiled at his daughter.

"He knows _all _of my stories," Kate told her father as the doorbell rang. "Castle, answer the door."

Castle opened the door to his daughter and her date. Alexis watched as her father carefully sized up the young man standing in the doorway. "Daddy, this is Brian Abernathy. Brian, this is my father, Richard Castle."

"Sir," Brian firmly shook Castle's hand.

"Come in," Castle finally stepped aside to allow Alexis and Brian to enter the loft.

"You remember Kate," Alexis said as Kate shook Brian's hand. "This is my grandmother, Martha Rodgers."

"I'm delighted to meet you, young man," Martha greeted him.

"This is Kate's father, Jim Beckett," Alexis introduced them as Jim shook Brian's hand. "And this is my baby sister, Ariel."

"She's even cuter than her picture," Brian smiled at the baby, who buried her head in her grandfather's chest.

"She's shy around strangers," Alexis explained. "Give her an hour or so."

They sat down to prime rib, stuffed baked potatoes, steamed asparagus, and baked Alaska for dessert. As they ate, Castle decided that Kate had definitely outdone herself in the meal department this time. Everything was wonderful. As they chatted, Castle found himself liking the young man that Alexis had brought home. "So, how do you get your ideas for your books?" Brian asked over dessert.

"Well, I research some of it, but others I use real life cases that Kate and I have worked on. Of course, I have to change details, but real life can throw a curveball or two."

"What kind of law do you plan on practicing, Brian?" Jim asked him.

"Criminal law. Right now I'm not sure which side I want to be on, though. There are pros and cons to both sides. If I'm a defense attorney, I'll have to defend scum of the earth that I know are guilty, but if I'm a prosecutor, I take a chance on sending innocent people away."

"Kate wanted to be on the Supreme Court," Rick said as he smiled at his wife.

"That was my plan. You'll figure it out, Brian."

As they finished dessert and then sat down for coffee, Castle realized that Kate was right as he watched Brian and Alexis. He did look at her the same way he looked at Kate. Ariel had finally warmed up to him and he played with her along with Alexis. He watched them laughing and whispering to each other. It was bittersweet to realize that his older daughter was possibly now with her soul mate.

Later that night Castle checked on Ariel before coming downstairs and getting into bed beside Kate. "I liked him," he said as he stared up at the ceiling.

"What's wrong, Castle? You sound disappointed."

"I didn't want to like him. I'm going to lose her, Kate."

"Castle, you're not going to lose her," she propped herself up on her elbow. "She just might be getting ready to start the next chapter of her life. She's always going to be your little girl, Castle. They're not getting married tomorrow. I told her to ease into it. She's still so young. I think that 21 is way too young to get married. She has a good head on her shoulders. You've done a wonderful job with her."

"Yeah, I have, haven't I?" He grinned as she rolled her eyes.

"You're such a jackass sometimes."

"Isn't that why you fell in love with me?"

"No," she shook her head.

"No?"

"I fell in love with you despite the fact that you're a jackass sometimes," she took his hand and moved it up under her nightshirt. "Let's practice making a baby, Castle."

As he let his hands roam under Kate's shirt, he couldn't help but hope that Alexis found the same joy with Brian that he'd found with Kate.

**A/N #4: Two more chapters and things will wrap up. Please read and review.**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960.**


	19. Chapter 19--A Perfect First Year

**Disclaimers: Uh, no.**

**Summary: The Castle's celebrate Ariel's first birthday. **

**A/N #1: One of Rick's actions during Ariel's first birthday will have far reaching consequences in the months ahead.**

**A/N #2: This will be the last actual chapter. There will be an epilogue which will set everything up for my next story, which is going to be extremely dark. **

Chapter 19: A Perfect First Year

_May_

Kate smiled at the sound of Ari's squeals coming from the swimming pool. She looked outside just in time to see Rick tossing their daughter up in the air and catching her. The first time he'd done that, she'd been scared that he was going to drop her or let her fall. But she'd been stupid to think that would ever happen. She just had to get used to the fact that her husband played a little rougher with Ari than she did.

Kate opened the door leading out to the pool and shook her head at the number of inflatable pool toys that bobbed up and down in the water. Ari had huge water wings on her chubby arms and was kicking in the water as Rick stayed close to her side. She slipped off her cover-up before stepping into the warm water. She loved Castle's heated pool. "Hey, chunky monkey," Kate swam over to Ari and Rick.

"Mama," Ari stuck her fingers into Kate's mouth as Kate gently nibbled on them as Ari giggled.

"You're so silly. You're also turning into a prune," Kate examined her fingers.

"What time is Alexis supposed to be here?"

"In about an hour. She's bringing the cake."

"Is she bringing the boy?" Castle asked, referring to Brian.

"He's coming to the party. I invited him. But no, he's not coming with her."

"Good, because I had no intention of sleeping with one eye opened tonight."

"Castle, Alexis is 21 years old. She's way over the age of consent."

"Kate, you're also way over the age of consent, but do you really think that your father wants to know that you're having sex?"

"Uh Castle, the evidence that I'm having sex is right here," she pointed toward Ari, who was slapping at the water with her hands.

"Well, trust me. We fathers don't want to think of our little girls in that light."

"I'm going to go dry her off and put her down for a nap. I'll be back in a few minutes," she kissed Castle.

Martha was in her room reading when Kate brought the baby inside. She came into the nursery as Kate was drying Ari off and putting her in dry clothes. "Alexis called and she should be here in about 45 minutes," Martha told Kate.

"Great. I'm going to put her down for a nap, and then go back out to the pool with Rick. Can you listen for her? She should go right to sleep, but she might wake up if she hears Alexis."

"Don't worry about her. She'll be fine."

Castle was floating on a raft in the middle of the pool when he felt something swim under him. He opened one eye as Kate emerged on the other side of the raft, her hair wet and hanging down her back. "Get in the water with me, Castle," she tugged on the raft. "I want to play."

He tipped the raft, reaching for her as he slipped into the water. "You feel so damn good," he wrapped his arms around her.

"Castle, I'm worried."

"About what?"

"I've gotten pregnant twice now without having to hardly think about it. Why is it taking so long this time?"

"Kate, we only started trying again a month ago. Give it some time. Sweetie, you've got Ariel. You can baby her as much as you want until it happens again. It's going to happen."

"I know, I just want to give you a son," she wrapped her arms around his neck and held onto him tightly.

"Is that what this is all about? Kate, all that matters to me is having a healthy child. Believe me; my masculinity will not suffer if I continue living in a house full of women. In fact, it kind of makes me feel like a sultan."

"A sultan?" She pulled away to look at him. "Seriously?"

"Well, I could've said 'stud,' but that sounds kind of—" he made a face as Kate laughed.

"I love you, my beautiful Man-Child," she kissed him, a kiss full of longing.

"Really?" They heard a voice from the patio. "You two seriously need to get a room."

"Hi, pumpkin," Castle smiled at his daughter.

"Kate, you've got to see that cake! It is so unbelievable cute!" Alexis boasted as Kate swam over to the steps and climbed out of the pool, retrieving her cover-up from one of the lounge chairs.

Kate followed Alexis back into the house going into the kitchen where Martha was admiring the large sheet cake on the counter. It was white with pink trim and was covered in Winnie the Pooh characters. The middle read 'Happy Birthday, Ariel' in pink letters. Kate went and got her phone before coming back and snapping several pictures of the cake. "This is great!"

"Margo also gave you a smaller cake," Alexis pulled out a small round cake decorated like the larger cake. "She said this is the one that you want Ariel to feed herself."

"Alexis, no! Have you seen what she's going to wear tomorrow? I don't want her covered in cake!"

"Uh, it's a tradition," she turned to find Castle looking at her. "For Alexis' first birthday, she had a Smurf cake. It had blue icing. When she was done, Alexis could've auditioned for Blue Man Group. You simply strip her down to her diaper, take her out on the back patio and let her have a good time."

"Castle—"

"Kate, she only turns a year old once. Trust me; you need these moments to tell her future fiancé in years to come."

"Richard's right, dear. After all, she does wash off. You either hose her down or put her in the bath."

Kate was almost asleep when Rick came to bed that night. She and Alexis were getting up early in the morning to start decorating the house for the party. She stretched her hand across Castle's stomach as he got under the covers. He had something to tell her and he knew that she was going to have a fit.

The one promise that he made to her on their wedding night was to keep the publicity to a minimum. But with the new Nikki Heat movie coming out later that year, Gina had thought that it would be a good idea to have him show off the new family man side of himself. Castle had argued against it because he knew how much Kate hated it. And she was adamant about keeping Ariel out of the media spotlight. "Uh, Kate? _People _magazine and Page 6 are both going to be here tomorrow."

At first Kate thought that she'd heard him wrong. "And you're just telling me this now?" She shot straight up in bed.

"With the new movie coming out, Gina thought—"

"Damnit, Rick! You know how I feel about publicity on our children! Especially Page 6! They're worse than the fucking _Enquirer_ sometimes! Castle, I'm a homicide detective! I've put a lot of people behind bars! I don't want some psycho fixating on our kids! Or on us!"

"Are you talking about all psychos or one psycho in particular?"

"I especially don't want _him_ seeing any pictures of me or our daughters!"

"Look, _People _has agreed to a two-page spread. That's it. I trust the magazine, Kate. They've never been anything less than respectful to me and my family. Page 6? Well, what can I say? They've always loved me."

"Yeah, when you showed up at parties with a bimbo on each arm. I get final say on the pictures, Rick. You make sure that they understand that."

"I'm sorry."

Now she couldn't go back to sleep. She hated when Rick threw things at her last minute. Yes, she was going to be angry, either way, but at least if she'd had some warning, she'd have had time to get over it. Now she was going to have to plaster a fake smile on her face for the stupid press. "Is Gina going to be here?" She glanced at him.

"She's my agent, Kate, so yeah, she's going to be here."

'Great,' she thought. Now not only was she going to have to deal with the press, but with Gina, as well. Gina with her fake smile and her fake laugh, and her fake nicety. It was one thing getting along with Meredith. She had to get along with her for Alexis' sake. After all, she was the girl's mother. And it wasn't hard to be nice to Meredith. But Gina, on the other hand . . . Kate still didn't understand how in the hell Rick could've been married to her. But looking at him in the dark, she knew that having her in their home was the last thing he wanted, too. He also hated playing nice for the paparazzi. Especially where Alexis and Ari were concerned. She curled up against Castle. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to snap."

"Kate, believe me, I hate exposing you and the girls to the paparazzi, too. If I didn't have to, I wouldn't. I promise that I'll give you plenty of advance warning if it ever happens again."

"I love you," she rested her head against his shoulder.

The next morning Kate, Alexis and Lanie were decorating the inside and outside of the house for the birthday party. Rick had taken Ari into town to get last minute supplies. "Girl, this place is starting to look like a Winnie the Pooh nightmare," Lanie complained.

"It's a theme party, Lanie. It's supposed to look like a nightmare. Speaking of nightmares, I found out last night that both the paparazzi and Gina are going to be here."

"If I was married to Writer-Man, I'd be stringing him up by his thumbs," Lanie warned.

"I thought about it."

Alexis was using a helium tank to fill up balloons while she listened to the two women. She knew from past conversations how Kate felt about Gina. Kate had even explained why she felt that way.

"_Why don't you like Gina?" Alexis had asked one afternoon shortly before her dad and Kate had gotten married._

"_A lot of reasons."_

"_Well, what's the main one?"_

"_Are you sure you want to hear this? I mean, I know how you feel about Gina—"_

"_Kate, I was a little girl when she was married to my dad. I liked her because she took me shopping and did other girl things with me. But it always felt like it was a competition with my dad on who could pay more attention to me. My dad would get jealous because she'd do things with me, so he'd go out and outdo whatever she did. I felt like I was in a tug of war. So, why don't you like her?"_

"_Your dad invited me to go to the Hamptons about a year after we met. At that time, I was torn about how I was starting to feel about him. I was in the process of accepting his invitation when Gina showed up and I learned that he was going with her. That was how I learned that they were dating again."_

"_Wow," Alexis breathed. "That summer was so strange."_

"_How so?"_

"_Dad was with her, but it felt forced. I just had the feeling that he really didn't want to be with her. And the fighting—"_

Alexis remembered how often her dad and Gina had fought that summer. The fighting had continued after they'd returned to the city. She was surprised that they'd stayed together as long as they had that fall. Her cell phone chimed and she smiled when she saw Brian's smiling face on her caller id. "Hi," she answered as she stepped out of the house.

Kate smiled when she watched Alexis leave the house. "Come on, let's decorate the tables outside."

"So, how are things going with Alexis and her new beau?"

"Really good. Castle's still giving him a hard time, but I think deep down he really likes him. Which is a good thing, because I think this is serious."

"Serious, as in picking out china patterns?"

"I don't know if she's quite there, but maybe."

***CCC***

The party was in full swing out on the wide lawn where Kate and Castle had gotten married two years before. Ari and the Ryan's three-year-old daughter Colleen were chasing balloons all over the grass while everybody snapped pictures. Kate had managed to get rid of the paparazzi after giving both publications an hour to take publicity shots. She made sure that her and Castle had final say over what was published. She'd wanted the shots that weren't used to either be given to them or deleted. She also made sure that there were no pictures of Ari by herself.

"She's having a blast," Castle walked over and wrapped his arms around Kate as they watched Ariel toddling behind Esposito, who was tugging a toy dog on a plastic string behind him. "I think Espo's missed his calling."

"Yeah, just call him The Pied Piper." Kate glanced over at Kevin and Jenny. Her eyes filled with longing at the sight of Jenny holding two-month-old Liam in her arms.

"Be patient," Castle whispered in her ear. "Before you know it, that's going to be us again."

"God, you must think that I sound like one of those desperate women who kidnap a pregnant woman for her baby," she turned into Castle's arms.

"Not quite, but pretty close," he kissed her hair. "I have a great idea. Let's go get the birthday cake."

"Okay," she kissed him softly before going to the house.

She unlatched the gate around the pool and walked into the kitchen. Since Ari's arrival, Castle had had to make changes to his house to accommodate a baby. One of those changes was the locked gate around the pool as well as alarms that would sound if Ari tried to leave the house when she was older and had learned to open doors. Kate went into the kitchen and stuck two candles into the large sheet cake. She looked up when Alexis walked into the house. "Do you need help?"

"Yeah. Can you grab the smaller cake and the fireplace lighter? Oh, and her large plastic bib."

Castle was holding Ariel in his arms when he saw Kate and Alexis coming out of the house with the two cakes. "Look, sweet pea. You want some cake?"

The baby girl with his huge blue eyes and Kate's curly hair smiled at him, grabbing his lip and pulling on it. They brought the cakes over to the table where Castle handed Ari to her mother and took the lighter from Alexis. He lit the two candles as everybody gathered around and began singing to the birthday girl, who clapped her hands and tried to sing with them as Kate laughed. "Blow out the candles," Kate urged her, demonstrating.

"No!" Ari shook her head.

"Come on, it's easy."

"Come on, little chica. Uncle Javi wants some cake!" Espo whined as Lanie slapped him. "What? I'm hungry!"

Ari began to cry and rub at her eyes, so Kate looked at Castle. The two of them carefully blew out the candles on the cake as everybody clapped their hands. Kate then placed the bib on Ari and placed her in her high chair before placing the small round cake in front of her. The baby looked at the cake and then at her mother, wondering for a brief second what she was supposed to do until she took both hands and plunged them into the cake as Kate cringed, and everybody else laughed.

Within minutes there wasn't an inch of her daughter that wasn't covered in white icing and chocolate cake. It was all over her face, in her hair, all over the ground. "Don't feel so bad," Jenny assured her friend. "Colleen's first birthday cake was purple. She looked like a giant grape when she was done."

"So, how's life with Liam?" Kate smiled at the baby asleep in a baby carrier on Jenny's chest.

"Much calmer than it was with Colleen. He's already sleeping most of the night. Colleen didn't do that until she was six months old. I can't believe how different they are. Why? Are you and Rick trying again?"

"We're talking about it," Kate smiled.

"That's great. Do you want to hold Liam?"

"Jenny, he's asleep. I don't want—"

"Don't be silly. This boy sleeps through anything."

Kate sat down as Jenny removed the baby from the carrier and placed him in Kate's arms. She smiled at the warm bundle in her arms, breathing in his baby smell. "Why do babies always smell so good? You'd think that Calvin Klein or Ralph Lauren would've been able to market this by now."

"I know, isn't it great?"

Kate sat there for several minutes just holding baby Liam and admiring him when Alexis walked over with Ari on her hip and Brian at her side. "I think someone wants mom," Alexis told her.

"Look at the baby, Ari," Kate held the baby up so that Ari could look at him. "Isn't he cute?" 

Ari looked at the baby in confusion before looking at her mother, her brows furrowed. She then began rubbing her eyes before beginning to cry. "Someone's had a long day," Alexis said.

"Yeah, I'd better take her inside and get her cleaned up for bed," Kate handed the baby back to Jenny before getting up and taking Ari from her sister. "Come on, baby girl, let's get you washed up."

After Ari was in bed, Kate came back outside with the baby monitor in her hand and joined all of the others who were sitting by the pool. "So, how do you think that you survived your first year of motherhood?" Capt. Gates asked.

"There were times when I thought that I wasn't. It's been the hardest thing I've ever done and the best thing I've ever done all wrapped up in one," Kate smiled.

"Well detective, I hate to tell you, but it doesn't get any easier."

"Tell me about it," Castle sighed, looking over at his older daughter who was sitting next to Brian, her hand tightly in his.

"Relax dad, it's not like we're running off and getting married tomorrow," Alexis teased her father.

"Please don't mention the 'M' word to me, yet."

Kate laughed as she leaned into Castle's shoulder. "You're never going to let Ari leave the house, are you?"

"I'm going to build a tower like the witch did in 'Rapunzel.'"

"I knew it!"

"Rick, I thought about that when Katie was born. Good luck getting the permit for that," Jim teased his son-in-law.

"Great, everybody's a comedian."

As Kate listened to her friends and family teasing Rick, she thought about what a perfect year it had been. It had started with pushing a tiny being from her body. But there had been so many firsts over that year. Some of them wonderful, others not so much. But the culmination was being able to share this first year milestone with the people who loved them. And with her being able to share it with Rick, Alexis, Martha, and her dad.

"I love you," she whispered into his neck.

"I love you, too," he turned to smile at her.

**A/N #3: There's going to be a short epilogue which is going to set the stage for what comes next. Next will be the conclusion of this three-story arc which began with 'Mind Games.'**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960. 11 days to go, people!**


	20. Chapter 20--Epilogue

**Disclaimers: No.**

**Summary: Epilogue. This chapter will lead straight into my next story which should be posted soon.**

Chapter 20: Epilogue

_Ossining – August_

He usually didn't go for the gossip rags. You could never believe a word that was printed in any of them, anyway. But one of the other inmates had told him that he'd seen a picture of his girlfriend in _People _magazine.

Josh Davidson scoured the magazine rack in the prison library until he found the cover of the one his buddy had seen the picture in. He walked over to a table, sat down and began leafing through the magazine until he saw _her_. Posing with that son of bitch writer and his kid. He began to see red as he read the captions under the pictures. 'Best-selling author Richard Castle and his wife, Kate, are celebrating the first birthday of their daughter Ariel—'"

He remembered that last day he'd seen her when he'd asked her if she'd had a boy or a girl.

'_Wouldn't you like to know?' She'd turned to smirk at him before leaving the visitor's room._

"Well I know now, Kate."

He looked at the picture of the little girl with Kate's hair and bright smile. There was no way she was that writer's kid. He was going to make Kate Beckett pay for putting him in this place. He was going to make her and that writer hurt like he'd been hurting for the past two years.

**A/N: So there you have it. Let the games begin, again. But, they will conclude this time. I promise.**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960.**


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